Farm To Table Talk

Today\’s journeys that are taking people from farm to city and back to farm are many and varied.  One way or the other there are thousands who have invested in education, careers and commutes who have found there was still something missing–open space, outdoors, family time and the satisfaction of growing crops or livestock. Karen and Dale Kopf are on that journey. They grew up on a farm and ranch, respectively, then pursued education and subsequent careers. They have found the best of both worlds when they moved to their Kopf Canyon Ranch in Idaho where they are proud to call themselves \”herdsmen\”.  They believe that care of animals and land is a stewardship, a trust. Today they enjoy \”goating\” together, raising Kiko goats in northern Idaho and helping others become herdsmen. To equip and educate new herdsmen they founded the Palouse Goat Guild and host an annual Goat Academy in Moscow, Idaho. The Food Animal Concerns Trust\’s Humane Farming Project awarded them a grant to cross fence a canyon for goats, laying hens and guardian animals. These herdsmen of goats and trainers of aspiring herdsmen, Karen and Dale Kopf, join Farm to Table to share their journey and to remind others who should consider goat, to consume or raise. www.kikogoats.org

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The Farm Bill is the primary food policy vehicle of the United States government and it affects every American citizen from commodity farmers, organic farmers, urban agriculture to citizens receiving supplemental nutritional assistance. Passage every 5 years requires bipartisan support that is sadly rare in Washington DC. Despite the acrimonious atmosphere in the Capitol, a Farm Bill has passed that has substantial improvements and none of the draconian changes that had been predicted. Much of the credit must go to the leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee, republican Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and democrat Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. 80,000 people attended the Natural Foods Expo where Senator Stabenow gave a Keynote address. She told a surprising and encouraging story of creation of the new Farm Bill and it’s substantial new initiatives. Because it is such an important story we share her speech and then follow it with some questions for the Senator about bipartisanship and the future of farming and food policies.

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If more diversity in the food system is desired, why isn\’t it accomplished? Karen Washington, food system activist and partner in Rise and Root farm, says that the reason is that no one asked, invited and welcomed others to a farming, gardening, school garden or other food and farming related event or organization. Karen resides in the Bronx and also in the country at her Rise and Root Farm. She is a co-founder of Black Urban Growers, an organization of volunteers committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings. She has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the country, has been awarded the James Beard Leadership Award and was a keynote speaker at EcoFarm where she visited with Farm To Table Talk about diversity and the power and dignity that comes from growing your own food. www.riseandrootfarm.com

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Permaculture is about creating a permanent culture- a way of living that is completely sustainable.  Natalie Bogwalker lives and teaches this web of life system in the country near Asheville, North Carolina. She is described as a “badass permaculture practitioner, homesteader, businesswoman, and momma.\”  Her five years of experience living primitively at the remote Wild Roots Community in Western North Carolina inspired her to start the Firefly Gathering (the premier Southeast skill sharing festival) and Wild Abundance, a homesteading and permaculture school near Asheville, NC.  Wild Abundance is also a thriving homestead itself, and home to Natalie, her partner Frank and their daughter Hazel, plus a handful of apprentices, work-traders, and Fox, the cat. Natalie joins Farm To Table Talk to share her journey, the recognition of necessary interdependence and path for  others  who share a  permaculture passion and a determination to not just let life happen. Wild Abundance website

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There may be nothing more important to the health of our soil, our food, ourselves and ultimately the future of the planet than the microbes beneath our feet and in our bodies.  Yet most of the public, from farmers to consumers, are unaware of this microbial magic and when they learn: \”My goodness!\”  Dr. Pam Marrone tracks microbes down all over the world and explains why they matter. The founder and CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations Inc.  she was honored by the Ecological Farming Association  at the EcoFarm Awards. where she was presented with the Steward of Sustainable Agriculture Award – or “Sustie” – which \”recognizes those who have been actively and critically involved in ecologically sustainable agriculture, and have demonstrated their long-term, significant contributions to the wellbeing of agriculture and the planet.\” Dr. Marrone joins Farm To Table Talk to give us a glimpse of the microscopic \’critters\’  beneath our feet that are foundational for sustainability and the future of food.  https://marronebioinnovations.com/bio-bites/

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Food deserts with a shortage of affordable healthy foods are not just found in inner cites but also throughout the country in rural and remote areas where the choices are \”fat, cheap and easy\” foods leading to an epidemic of diabetes and related health issues. The first place in America to address this with a Healthy Food Act and a tax on unhealthy foods was not Brooklyn or Berkeley but the Navajo Nation. This is where Denisa Livingston is working to empower Navajo communities to take control of food policy and lead a movement toward food sovereignty and social change. Through the Dine` Community Advocacy Alliance Act she helped create a 2% additional sales tax for unhealthy foods with the revenue going to fund community based and community directed health and wellness programs.   Passing laws in the Navajo Nation faces the same challenges from lobbyists for national food brands as in Washington DC or State Legislatures. It\’s hard, but the advocates for healthier food choices have persevered. Denisa is also the Slow Food International Indigenous Councilor of the Global North. Indigenous people around the globe are addressing similar challenges and the Internet is allowing them to form a global community to share stories and strategies from New Mexico to Kenya. Denisa Livingston shares the journey on Farm To Talk.  Facebook: @dineadvocacy Twitter: @princessedenisa

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EcoFarm is an annual gathering of farmers, want to be Farmers, their friends, suppliers, customers and fellow dreamers sponsored by the Ecological Farming Association. While the Annual Eco Farm takes place in Pacific Grove California on the Coast of Monterey Bay there are similar gatherings taking place all over where one finds inspiring stories of people who dream of being farmers and with persistence, support and some luck often  realize those dreams.  At last year\’s EcoFarm we spoke to  Melissa Phillips who with her husband Jack Whetham moved to California from Texas to be WOOFers on the Kern Family Farms in the Sierras. At the recent EcoFarm Melissa was at home on the Kern Family farm with their toddler, Phoenix and we had the chance to catch up with her husband Jack Whetham about the family\’s journey and the pursuit of their dream to their new farm in New York’s Hudson River Valley.

www.eco-farm.org

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Imagine if you approached your meals with the same consideration you give to the choices you make in an election. Well, when we choose what we eat, in important ways we are also voting for the type of food and farming system we want.  Not only are we to wonder if the food will taste good, be safe and be affordable, but also whether we are choosing food that has been sustainably produced, in an earth friendly way that still pays enough back to the farmer and all the hands that touch it from farm to table. Farm To Table Talk is back for a second episode with Josh Tickell, the author of  Kiss The Ground. In our first conversation we discovered the lessons he found on regenerative agriculture as he traveled around the globe to speak with farm families making a difference. In this episode he explains what farmers, consumers, food retailers and policymakers can do to protect and build our most precious resource our soil. Farmers vote on being regnerative and those of us who are lucky enough to eat three times a day,  vote three times a day. www.kisstheground.com

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Among consumers, farmers and food marketers, regenerative agriculture is still not a term that is widely heard let alone understood; however that is beginning to change as individuals and organizations recognize a rebirth that can save the world–effecting farmers, our climate and what\’s on our plate.  Josh Tickell, the author of Kiss The Ground, set out to learn and tell the stories of the regenerative agriculture pioneers and this fledgling movement.  Beginning with the encouragement of leaders who established Kiss The Ground  to produce a documentary film.   In the process of that soon to be released documentary film,  there was  so much original,  inspiring stories accumulated they were able to produce a book.  It\’ a great read or a listen to the audio book format. Josh Tickell is a journalist, thought leader, author, and award winning film director. In this conversation on Farm to Talk, Josh take us with him to large and small farmers and experts, from North Dakota to France to plumb the depths of this new movement  and inspire us all on this regenerative journey. www.kissthegroundbook.com, www.joshtickell.com

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The future of life on earth may hinge on society embracing, supporting and promoting resilience in our soils. That is why Resilient Agriculture is  becoming one of the most important food and farming topics. Researchers, policy makers, farmers and the public are sobered by the challenge of feeding billions of hungry people in a rapidly changing climate. Ray Archuleta, alias “The Soil Guy” and Tim LaSalle of Chico State Regenerative Agriculture Innitiative joined Rodger Wasson at Eco Farm to talk about regenerative agriculture in a previously released podcast.  Since embracing Regenerative Agriculture  can be a critical step that society or individuals  can take to address climate change by how they farm or eat, we revisit this important discussion with Ray Archuletta and Tim LaSalle. Ray Archuleta is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist with the Soil Science Society of America and has over 30 years of experience as a Soil Conservationist, Water Quality Specialist and Conservation Agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  After retirement from the NRCS, Ray founded Soil Health Consultants, LLC and Soil Health Academy LLC.  He also owns and operates a farm in Missouri with his wife and family. Tim LaSalle is a regenerative agriculture leader from Chico State University and the Chico Regenerative Agriculture Initiative. Tm has served as the first CEO of Rodale Institute, Executive Director of the Allan Savory Center for Holistic Management, consultant, advisor, and research coordinator for the Howard Buffett Foundation in Africa on soils and food security for smallholder farmers. He is Professor Emeritus of California Polytechnic State University, and former President/CEO, of the California Agriculture Leadership. Regenerative Agriculture is the primary theme of the 2019 Eco Farm. www.ecofarm.org

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We hear of new philosophies about food but what about the ancient philosophies. Jean Jacque Rousseau said \”Give me milk, vegetables, eggs, and brown bread, with tolerable wine and I shall always think myself sumptuously regaled.” And Plato seems to be the originator of today\’s very popular Mediterranean Diet. Henry David Thoreau\’s simple rows of beans beside his famous pond inspires  foodies yet today.  A new book by Martin Cohen, \”I Think Therefore I Eat\” looks back through the centuries at the opinions and food choices of the world\’s greatest minds, who may help us tackle today\’s food questions. He is an author, radical philosopher, eiditor, reviewer and a foodie of sorts who lives with his family in the South of France from where he  joins the Farm To Table Talk.  In this conversation we start with what it\’s like to be a writer, living (and eating) in the South of France then dive in to the food experiences and perspectives of the greatest philosophers of all time.  I THINK, THEREFORE I EAT: THE WORLD’S GREATEST MINDS TACKLE THE FOOD QUESTION (Turner Publishing, November 20, 2018)

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Globally and locally, the public has been warned that the world\’s climate is changing and it is not getting better. Almost everyone now agrees on that but many don\’t agree whether to call it climate change, global warming, weird weather or something else that aligns with their politics. The scientific reports are snowballing now from the US government, World Resources Institute and experts from every corner of the globe.  Farming systems, the source that sustains the world, is being blamed for 25% of the problem at the same time that there is another scientific consensus that the world will need to grow 50% more food to feed the world\’s growing population. We need more food at the same time that we need to reverse the trend of producing green house gases. So what? Coastal cities will flood, fires will rage, droughts increase but food will be grown in different ways, different regions and higher cost.  Not terrible news if your biggest worry is paying $25 for a  future daily latte but tragic news if you are responsible for feeding a a family on poverty level income. Sam Fromartz is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Food and Environment Reporting Network.  He joins Farm To Table Talk podcast host Rodger Wasson to discuss the state of these emerging stories  and implications for what we eat and how it\’s grown.  www.thefern.org

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Central city markets have existed for hundreds of years to connect farmers and consumers–a rich tradition that continues to this day in some cities with the addition of new looks and new services to meet the changing needs of modern cities.  Findlay Market in the Over the Rhine neighborhood in downtown Cincinnati has been in continuous operation since the early 1800\’s and even stayed open throughout the Civil War although the battle lines between the North and the South were close by.  Today Central Markets like Findlay have added a range of new services to provide  for the needs of a diverse community. Under one roof with seasonal fresh market outdoors and surrounded by artisan and food vendors the old market is the center of new activities — from Kitchen incubator to healthy food prescriptions.  Andrew Pytlik, the Findlay Market District Manager, joins our table to share the story of a perpetual marketplace that is vital, relevant and progressive–bringing everyone together for a healthy local food system. www.findlaymarket.org

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\”Left a good job in the city…\” is not just John Fogerty\’s lyrics to a great song, it should be the theme for thousands of new farmers, also tired of \”workin for the man every night and day.\” Morgan Gold is one of them. Over the past 12 months, Morgan and his wife quit their jobs in Washington, DC and moved to a farm in a remote part of Northern Vermont. They planted a 600 tree integrated orchard consisting of chestnuts, hazelnuts, elderberries, butternut, mulberries, apple, black locust, Siberian pea shrub and many others. They are also in the process of developing a flock of egg-laying ducks that live in a mobile duck house that travels through their orchard. Their ultimate goal is to develop a long-lasting sustainable farm that is sustainable on three levels – environmentally, financially and personally. To do this, they have been documenting their farm\’s development through a YouTube channel to build a brand  to heavily sell future farm products. If you are pursuing a back to the country dream of your own or just curious/envious of those who are, join Morgan Gold and Rodger Wasson at this Farm To Table conversation.  Check out Morgan Gold\’s you tube videos:  Small Vermont Farm Tour:    https://youtu.be/qNaqPKNQE7U ; The Duck Harvest: https://youtu.be/FTayhLvq41o  ; Watching Ducks in Slow Motion: https://youtu.be/8-NBIWFO-J4; Why Leave the City?: https://youtu.be/eww5MDtdZsc

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Should your scales get a holiday too? There is a debate about whether diets work and even whether we should bother to step on the scales. Maybe it’s not about your weight or your pants size or how many calories you burn. Well-being coach, author and registered dietitian nutritionist Rebecca Scrichfield believes we should focus on awareness, self-compassion, mindfulness and joy in making our food choices. Author, speaker, registered Dietitian and founder of Whole Body Reboot, Manuel Villacorta is a weight loss expert who is not ready to ditch the scales but recognizes the importance of watching waist size, maybe instead. Rebecca Scrichfield and Manuel Villacorta join the Farm To Table Talk table to explore the weight loss controversies and how we should care for our bodies. www.manuelvillacorta.com   www.bodykindnessbook.com/podcast/

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For many Farm To Table fans and \’foodies\’ of all types, Top Chef is their favorite show. For young Chefs it can also be an obsession to one day be chosen to compete.  Caitlin Steininger is one of those Chefs whose goal it was to make it to the Top Chef competition. She made it and shares her experience with Farm to Table Talk.   Caitlin and her sister, Kelly Trush, started the Cooking With Caitlin brand when she was just 19.  They write food columns. do regular radio show, have a prominent web presence and have a popular restaurant, CWC (Cooking With Caitlin) in Wyoming, Ohio. They source locally, including produce grown for the restaurant at Cait lin\’s children\’s elementary school.  Farm To Table Talk is \’cookin with Caitlin\’.

www.cookingwithcaitlin.com, www.cwctherestaurant.com and www.cincystation.com

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Fear of chemicals in our food system scares some people to death.  Is it warranted? Both organic chemicals and synthetic chemicals are used to grow, process, transport, preserve, package and serve our food, from farms to tables. Consequently traces of chemical residues can be found in all of us. Given declining trust in large corporations and government institutions some worry about this a great deal and some don\’t give it a second thought.  For the most part Federal government agencies and food manufacturers are assuring that safeguards are adequate and the fear is not warranted while  many NGO\’s draw attention to what they see as shortcomings in regulation and increased risks evidenced by certain scientific studies. The Genetic Literacy Project takes a more reassuring perspective on food safety.  Its Founder and Executive Director, John Entine is also the author of \”Scared To Death\” and  \”Crop Chemophobia\”.  This episode of Farm to Table Talk explores the current facts, perceptions and \’phobias\’ about our food and how it is grown.

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Across America there are a few special places where  farm based, private,  non-profit organizations carry out programs for the pubic good. In the Ohio River Valley on the northeast rim of the 2 million population Cincinnati metropolitan area, is one of those special places: Greenacres Farm. The Farm was established by Louis and Louise Nippert  to preserve for the public an area reflecting the traditional environment and historic significance of its woodland and farmland–encouraging conservation and appreciation of nature, music, arts and sustainable \”generative farming\” of livestock and vegetables. A picturesque drive through rolling hills and pastureland brings us to Greenacres Farm for table talk with Peggy Schatz, Farm Sales & Office Manager; Chad Bitler, Research Scientist; and Dave Chal, Garden Production Manager.  It\’s a lively conversation that explores the past, future and consumer interest in biodynamic and generative farming. www.green-acres.org

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When a public institution has research, education and public outreach responsibilities that touch the needs of virtually the whole world, it gets to be called the World Food Center. That happens at UC Davis where a World Center started, stalled and then re-started with renewed focus.  Today \”the World Food Center (WFC) mobilizes the research, educational and outreach resources of UC Davis, in partnership with consumers, public and philanthropic entities, and the agricultural, marine and food industries, to promote innovative, sustainable and equitable food systems. Based in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the World Food Center works on local, national and global scales to support scientific research and policy development leading to implementation of food production and distribution systems that support the health of people and the environment while addressing the challenges of population growth and climate change.\” Dr. Kent Bradford is a distringuished Professor of Plant Sciences and the Interim Director of the World Food Center.  Dr. Bradford joins our Table Talk Table to explain the Center\’s mission and what it means to farmers, the food chain and consumers in California and world-wide.

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New  farmers need new farms, near populations of appreciative consumers. With the average age of farmers over 60, we can say for sure it\’s time for a changing of the guard.  And with farm land disappearing to erosion and development while the population of the Globe makes its way to 9 billion,  changes are necessary.  Those changes may be thousands of small changes instead of just gigantic solutions.  Fortunately progress is happening as innovative beginning farmers are finding uniques arrangements with land owners and under utilized spaces near or in cities. Farm To Table Talk explores these opportunities with a panel of farmers at the Farm To Fork Festival in Sacramento.  Our guests are Emma Torbert of Cloverleaf Farms, AJ Gomez of Gomez Farms and Chanowk Yisrael of Yisrael Family Farms. What are the challenges and opportunities for young farmers today: new, near or urban?

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\”California Cuisine\” began in the 70\’s when innovative Left Coast chefs began to build their menus frtom the variety of fresh produce grown locally.  On the frontline of this trend and in the kitchen at Berkely\’s Chez Panisse restaurant  was Jeremiah Tower–possessing and expressing a talent and vision that would become globally renowned. As Chef Tower moved on to create the famous Stars Restaurant in San Francisco, the California style of cuisine went on to influence the entire country with what was soon recognized as American Cuisine.  The consensus of foodies and culinary experts across the world is that Jeremiah Tower is the father of American Cuisine.  He is also a fan of the Farm to Fork movement taking place in Sacramento, where Farm To Table Talk caught up with him at the Farm To Fork Festival (with 80,000 attendees in one weekend) for a conversation on the status and future of Farm to Table.

Jeremiah Tower

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When over 70,000 people show up to celebrate Farm To Fork in a single weekend, it\’s time to take stock of Sacramento\’s celebration of this expression of the Food Movement.  Farm To Table Talk does just that by setting down with three pioneering leaders of Farm to Fork:   California\’s Secretary of Agriculture, Karen Ross; Chef and Owner of Mulvaney\’s B & L, Patrick Mulvaney; and Michael Dimock, President of Roots of Change.  Rob Carlmark, Meterologist of ABC 10 introduces Farm To Table Talk Host, Rodger Wasson as the group digs in to where Farm To Fork is today and how  they explain that as they speak thousand of city residents are walking around enjoying the sights, sounds, tastes and presentations of a region that is proud  to be the Farm to Fork Capital.

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Farm-to-Fork isn’t a passing fad or a marketing slogan in the Sacramento region – it’s the favored way. The region has been an agricultural powerhouse for centuries, boasting a year-round growing season, ideal climate and a \”mouth-watering bounty\” of crops. The six counties surrounding the greater Sacramento region grows over 150 crop varieties, supports a regional $7.2 billion agricultural economy;  are home to more than 1.5 million acres in active farmland. There is a priority to engage the entire community in the local food system– helping to feed the nation and the world and celebrate that fact locally. The region is home to more than 40 regional farmers markets—including the largest California Certified Farmers’ Market in the state. Local restaurants utilize the abundance of regionally grown products to create a Farm-to-Fork freshness, whether enjoying a burger or an elegant dinner. And as the seasons change, so do the Sacramento region’s restaurant menus, ensuring a true taste of local flavor. Sacramento\’s self-recognition of its status in the Farm To Fork world and subsequent declaration was no accident.  To share the journey, the accomplishments and the Farm To Fork promise Farm to Table Talk visits with Mike Testa, the President and CEO of Visit Sacramento, who faced initial criticism when the slogan on the highly visible water tower replaced \”City of Trees\” with \”America\’ Farm-To-Fork Capital.\”  

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Mexican and Spanish land grants created massive ranchos years before California became part of the United States. Later the Gold Rush lured the ambitious and adventurous from all over the world. One such dreamer was Heinrich Alfred Kreiser, a poor butcher who left his home in Germany and immigrated to New York City in 1846. Heinrich made his way to California in 1850. He renamed himself Henry Miller and soon built up a thriving butcher business in San Francisco.  In 1858 he partnered with Charles Lux, a fellow German immigrant and a former competitor. The Miller and Lux company expanded rapidly, vertically integrating from meat products to cattle raising. They became the largest producer of cattle in California and one of the largest landowners in the United States, owning over one million acreas directly and controlling nearly 22,000 square miles. Like a scene out of the “Lonesome Dove” movie they trailed cattle all the way from Texas to stock their ranch, headquartered in Los Banos, on the west side of California’s San Joaquin Valley where Miller played a major role in the development of much of the  Central Valley.

The Miller and Lux Corporation did not long survive his death, though his family reorganized their share of the holdings and are still engaged over 6 generations later. From these beginnings the Bowles Faming Company was formed in 1965. Today one of Henry Miller’s Great, Great, Great, Great Grandchildren Cannon Michael is continuing the enduring farming tradition with a  progressive Vision stating: \”We farm with both organic and conventional techniques and strive to produce food and fiber in the most ethical and environmentally friendly ways possible. We also manage habitat areas that are key resources for our local ecosystem as well as for migrating waterfowl. … “Sustainability” is part of everything we do….  not just a catch-phrase … it is a way of life\”.  To learn how this descendant ranch of the Henry Miller’s million acre spread preserves and promotes sustainability today we set down around a desk at Bowles Farming Company headquarters near Los Banos to visit with Executive Vice President Derek Azevedo and Senior Farm Analyst Curtis Garner. www.bfarm.com

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Rich Collins was a 4 year old in the city when first he knew that he wanted to be a farmer when he grew up. Now on a farm he calls \”Journey\’s End\” he can look back at productive years of farming, then a vegetable that he learned about as a dishwasher before tracking it to France; and then to look  ahead to helping small scale farmers compete and realize their own dreams as he has realized many of his own. Rich talks about his journey and why he believes he\’s a approaching \”Journey\’s End\” while he puts more irons in the fire establishing his new farm home and rolling up his sleeves to help farmer organizations, Community Alliance with Family Farmers and the Farmer Guild meld in to one. We could argue that it\’s not an \”end\” but we can\’t argue that it\’s a worthy journey we share in the table talk,

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We need new farmers and unhappy careerists wish they could farm. Is this a \”just do it\” moment?  There are a million reasons that it might not be that simple, but there are thousands of people who have concluded that they can\’t take the \”rat race\” any longer and are looking for a better life on a farm of their own.  Some will argue that this movement won\’t \”feed the world\” but no one argues that it can\’t \”feed the soul\”.  Tim Young was an Investment Banker and his wife a Fashion Designer when they said \”enough\” and moved to a small farm hundreds of miles away in northern Georgia.  While many have to transition slowly, keeping an off farm job, Tim felt that the ideal was to \”burn your bridges\” behind you and that is what they did as they built a farm from scratch with pasture raised livestock, cheese production, farmers market, direct sales and all that goes with them- although they had never farmed before. They found that beyond just hard work and the passion for the dream of farming, \”marketing\” was the key to success.  Tim started sharing this formula for success with others who wanted to make the plunge and today operates the Small Farm Nation Academy.  In this Farm To Table Talk, Tim explains the difference between these beginning small farmers who must create their own markets and Commodity farming. Both kinds of farming can be environmentally sustainable but neither will not  if they are not economically sustainable.   https://smallfarmnationacademy.com/

https://smallfarmnation.com/ 

smallfarmnation.com

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A jury in San Francisco awarded $289 million dollars to DeWayne \”Lee\” Johnson, a school groundskeeper who sued Monsanto because he has a terminal prognosis due to a cancer (Non Hodgkins Lymphoma) caused by his exposure to the weed killer Round Up and its active ingredient of Glyphosate.  Monsanto, now owned by the German firm Bayer, presented hundreds of scientific studies, US EPA, National Institute of Health and other evidence that Glyphosate was safe. However  the jury, presented with contrary conclusions by the International Agency of Health, the State of California, along with persuasive testimony by Mr. Johnson came to a decision that could be the first of more to come. Over 4,000 similar charges have been made.  With so much conflicting science, why did the Jury side with Mr. Johnson against Monsanto?  We ask one of the most experienced legal affairs reporters in the nation, Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle who covered the case and has posted the most thorough reporting  on the issue to date. On Farm To Table Talk Mr. Egelko explains what happened in this Court and points out that other court decision are coming out with seemingly conflicting  decisions about Glyphosate.  These cases are not about application of the herbicide on crops such as corn and soybeans that have been genetically engineered to tolerate Roundup as the weeds in their midst are killed. In a range of applications, the issue is whether glyphosate is as safe as has been claimed. Much more is coming on related questions, including the practice of \”dessication\” where Roundup is applied just before harvest on some crops, oddly including  some marketed as \”Non GMO\” –not genetically engineered but sprayed with Glyphosate.

Read Bob Egelko\’s coverage https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Monsanto-case-Bay-Area-man-with-cancer-awarded-13147891.php

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Grass fed lamb is not a new idea; in fact it is a couple thousand years old but it\’s being newly discovered by Millennials and meat lovers who want the protein on their dinner plates to be delicious and sustainably produced–preferably with few if any other ingredients to the lambs\’ diet other than grass. The Emigh family near Dixon, California has been feeding lambs this way, on grass, since the 1860\’s.  All of the things that concern many of today\’s consumers such as GMO grain feed, antibiotics, hormones or cramped living spaces are avoided. Instead the lambs come to open spaces with fresh air in lush open pastures after they are weaned off their mother\’s milk. Five generations of Emighs have fed lambs this way, with the primary innovation being irrigating the pastures so that grass is available for the lambs year round. Consequently fresh lamb is available year round.  The new generation of Emighs, Sarah, her sister Catie and Catie\’s husband Kevin, have joined their father Martin Emigh to continue the tradition with a few modern twists, direct marketing and social media.  While riding in a pickup truck through their pastures, Martin and Sarah share their story , including how they now have customers for their lamb among the top farm to fork restaurants and discerning consumers throughout Northern California. And, gratitude that an old idea has new life as people care about the journey from grass to fork. Here their story on Farm To Table Talk.

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Tariffs are taxes on food and farming. It starts off sounding distant and hopefully strategic, then degenerates into retaliation.  Still trade \”war\” is an abstract concept for most of the public until the \’chickens come home to roost\’ months or years later in the form of higher costs of  food to consumers and reduced income–even insolvency on farms. Concerned as we are with successful marketing journeys from farm to table, disruption in these food channels must be addressed.  Organizations like Farmers for Fair Trade, the Farm Bureau and others are calling for the US Administration to reverse course before it is too late to avoid the consequences–consequences learned the hard way in the Great Depression following the Smoot Hawley Act passed nearly 100 years ago.  To sort out the cause, implications and solutions of the these battles we have a Farm To Table Talk with Josh Rolf, the Manager of Federal Policy for the California Farm Bureau. #farmersforfreetrade

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Every minute we lose 3 acres of farm land, according to Jimmy Daukus, the Senior Program Officer of American Farmland Trust.  That is bad news for a hungry world since less farmland  means less food when we need much more food to feed a global population that is on its way to 9 billion people.The US Climate Alliance believes that there is urgency to stem the losses. Loss of agriculture capacity is unsustainable and also contributes to the devastating impacts of climate change.   Only by sequestering carbon on natural and working ag land can carbon levels be drawn down–possibly even reversing climate change. For farmers it means tilling less, planting cover crops, fine tuning nutrient application and rotating crops.  Consumers must be inquisitive about how their food is grown–either by asking their farmers or expecting the manufacturers of the food products they buy to explain and vouch for the production practices of their farmer suppliers.  Jimmy Daukus joins Farm To Table Talk to talk about Saving the Land that Sustains Us.

www.farmland.org • facebook.com/AmericanFarmland • twitter.com/FarmlandNo Farms No Food®

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One of the most unfortunate dilemmas in the food chain is that all over the world, including the US, children are going hungry and yet we waste over 40% of the food we produce.  A comprehensive political solution is not at hand but progress is happening in local communities–utilizing food that was bound for landfills even though it is still safe and nutritious.  The existing cycle of waste is an indefensible contributor to climate change and hunger.   LaSoupe is showing a different path forward. It\’s founder, Suzy DeYoung, is an experienced Chef who decided that \’enough is enough\’; something must be done to waste less and recover food that can be  re-directed to needy families.   Food pantries and other non-profit food distribution agencies are not new; however LaSoupe goes further inmany ways, including tapping the creativity, generosity and compassion of Restaurant Chefs who want to help. Volunteering Chefs are pitching in to prepare delicious soups from foods that were otherwise destined to be wasted; then sharing  through a \”Bucket Brigade\” to those in need. The result? Food is not wasted; hungry kids are fed; Cooking talents are shared with the less fortunate; young people are inspired; and selfless individuals realize the satisfaction that comes from helping others.  Suzy DeYoung joins the Farm Table to share the keys to this admirable farm to table journey. www.lasoupecincinnati.com

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Restaurants and food stores  succeed when they meet the needs and interests of their customers.  When those customers want local foods, they must oblige and connect with local farms.  Not so easy!  \”Hubs\” have been created to bridge that Farm To Table gap connecting the farms to the restaurants, stores or direct to consumers. A great example of these enterprises is the Ohio Valley Food Connection in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. It was founded in 2015 by Alice  Chalmers to connect local food producers and buyers. In 2005, after a career in Finance and Strategic Planning, Alice starting looking into the economics of rural communities, land use planning and the future of agriculture near metropolitan areas.  She spent three + years as Executive Director of Future Harvest CASA (Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture), promoting local sustainable farming, and creating connections between consumers, businesses and local farmers in the Chesapeake Bay area.  From her East Coast beginnings to her current home in the Ohio Valley, she has worked tirelessly to help local farmers with their most pressing challenge: marketing. Farmers, retailers and consumers benefit when smooth connections link the field to the fork. http://www.ohiovalleyfood.com

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Farming is changing. Whether your food comes from smaller local farmers, large scale commodity farmers, self grown or imported from the other side of the world, it is inevitable that new ideas will play an important part in the quality and quantity of what the world has to eat. When societies stopped using washboards and started using washing machines, there were skeptics and to this day there are some who believe that we would be better off using horses instead of tractors. Mistrust of the intentions, greed and/or unintended consequences is primary reasons for concerns. Still, smart use of new technology keeps advancing. Tom Farms in Northern Indiana was started in 1837 and has changed with the times. Kip Tom joins Farm To Table Talk to talk about generational adaptation through the years and the future of farming. To sustainably feed a global population of over 9 billion people, even more creative solutions will be required, both outside and inside. New ‘inside’ farming ventures are indoors, hydroponic, near large urban areas and housed in warehouses or abandoned factories. With a concoction of water, nutrients, genetics, light and ingenuity urban retailers and restaurants have a supply of select produce right in their backyards. Irving Fain, CEO and Founder of Bowery Farms, joins Farm To Table Talk to explain the premise and the promise of Inside Farming.

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There is a massive wave of technology that is sweeping over the food and farming landscape of the world–a virtual tsunami.  The ForbesAg Tech Summit in Salinas has linked global  food/ag leaders and Silicon Valley to mark the prospects and the promise of this impressive wave.  Summit Keynoters, US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Steve Censky and Steve Forbes shared enthusiasm for what this means to innovators, farmers, chefs and consumers. UC Berkeley Ag Economists, Gordon Rausser and James Davis join Farm To Table Talk discuss the significance of the $10 Billion dollar investment in changing how we farm and what we eat. The major technology categories include: Precision Agriculture, Agricultural Biotechnology, Vertical Farming, Alternative Animal Products, Decision-Making Tools and Supply Chain Management. Not all of the new technologies will be successfully adopted, but those that will could change the landscape of food and farming forever.

\”Recent Developments in the California Food and Agricultural Technology Landscape\”  http://giannini.ucop.edu/publications/are-updae/

#ForbesAgTech

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How can we bring Farm to Table value to our communities and to society in a meaningful way? Roza Ferdowsmakan has found a way. She is a farm-to-table advocate who has been working with local farmers and chefs in Phoenix . She is also a foodie and tech founder of a free farm-to-table mobile app (Bites) that connects foodies with local chefs (professional chefs, culinary students, and home cooks) for in-home farm-to-table dining experiences. Roza is interested in giving visibility and support to urban farms, micro farms, co-ops, community gardens, backyard gardens, organic and family-owned small farms, as well as sustainable wine growers. She has been granted a sustainability award by the Arizona state university Walton school of sustainability for her efforts that have been featured in 25 different press publications. It is a journey to normalize farm-to-table for everyone, everywhere…and doing it as a bootstrapped tech founder who is interested in leveraging technology to do good in the world in an efficient way. Whether your home is modest or grand, you can host a table connects an inspired chef, caring farmers and your own \”tribe\” for a memorable experience.  www.bites.mobi

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More and more of us want to know everything we can about the products we buy–especially when it comes to the food we consume with our friends and families. Whether motivated by worry, mistrust or just curiosity, consumers expect that they can rev up their search engines and find everything.  Food producers and retailers alike realize that while in the old days taste and price were what primarily mattered, today and from now on trust through transparency is essential. To facilitate this emerging demand, food industry leaders have created a \”platform\” that provides consumers with a an online path to practically everything they would ever want to know, from farm to table.  The new vehicle for this road to food knowledge is \”Smart Label\” and Mark Baum, Chief Collaboration Officer and Senior Vice President of Industry Relations for the Washington DC based Food Marketing Institute takes us on this journey to ultimate transparency on Farm To Table Talk. www.smartlabel.org

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Some of us know quite a bit about the coffee beans in our coffee, including the farmers that grew the beans; but what do  meat-lovers really know about the meat on our plates? Joe Heitzeberg a founder of Crowd Cow and co-author of Craft Beef is stepping up to answer the questions of meat eating consumers who care. Crowd Cow works directly with independent farmers across the country to bring high quality craft beef to their doorsteps, complete with stories about the farm and farmers who raised it. Are the foods you eat \”Craft\” or \”Commodity\” and why does that matter?  Joe Heiteberg joins Farm To Table Talk to explain his passion for great tasting beef and to discuss the care, feed and breeds that satisfy our appetite,  and our conscience. www.craftbeefbook.com www.crowdcow.com

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Is there a direct relationship between the roaster of your coffee and the farmers who grow the beans.  It\’s worth finding out and if the answer is no, it might be time to try a new source of your coffee.  Specialty coffee shops are springing up all over the place, often featuring their unique roasting process and proudly sourced beans from farmers they know or have carefully researched. Edie and Andy Baker, the owners of Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters in Sacramento, California meet directly with each farmer to see their farming practices and ensure that they have passion and care for their coffee. It\’s a difference you can taste in every cup.  That first cup of coffee is an important start to every day for most of; so we should make sure it\’s all we deserve.  Edie and Andy explain coffee from seed to cup in a way that makes you anxious to pour your next cup.  They bring coffee to the table on this episode of Farm To Table Talk.

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Food labels and menu descriptions are just shorthand communications when we buy foods that tell us a story about origin, nutrition and production practices.  Organic is a description that many consumers look for, but some of the pioneering Organic farmers believe that today it falls short of what\’s needed–especially when it comes to Hydroponics because they believe that the founding vision of the Organic movement was based on healthy soil.  Hydroponics are produced in a non-soil material in a greenhouse.  Attempts to make changes in the USDA certification standards failed, so efforts are underway to improve on the current standards addressing issues that now include animal care and other issues, beyond just hydroponic. Ultimately this could be an add-on label to the current USDA certified organic label to provide more transparency. Dave Chapman runs Long Wind Farm in Vermont and is a leader in the Real Organic Project. Dave talks with Farm To Table Talk about the concerns and solutions  to grow understanding of traditional organic values, practices and a sustainable future.  www.realorganicproject.org

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Our relationship with food doesn\’t have to be so complicated. Listening to our body, enjoying the \”well-grown\” foods we love, mindfully connects body, mind and spirit. This is part of the common-sense advice of Heidi Schauster, MS RDN, CEDRD-S, the author of \”Nourish\”.  Honoring our body\’s wisdom starts with accepting our own body type, rejecting diets, skipping the scales and practicing Mindful-eating:\”…Eating with Gratitude. Appreciating the miracle and many steps that brought the food to your table (or desk) for just a moment before eating will not only slow you down and drop you into mindfulness, but it\’s an antidote for all of the analyzing, counting, obsessing, and questioning that might precede a meal or snack. With your heart full of appreciation and gratitude for the plants, animals, and humans that made your food possible, you are better able to see eating as an act of self-care.\”  Farm To Table Talk  is all about the stories behind every bite and Heidi Schauster brings a fresh view in this episode of the Farm To Table Talk Podcast.

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First comes the seeds to grow the crops that fill our tables with foods that satisfy, nourish and sustain us at generally bargain prices. Seeds from new and improved varieties often take 5 to 10 years of research before they prove their worth to farmers, chefs, food processors and consumers. Farm to Table Talk backs up to the beginning of the process, where plant breeders give Mother Nature a helping hand; then Greenhouses start the seeds for transplanting into the fields of the Central Valley.  UC Davis Plant Breeder, Dr. Allen Van Deynze guides us along the path from the seed of an idea to delicious tomato products years down the road.  Today tomato seeds seldom go straight to the farm; instead they are started in greenhouses and then taken to the farm where they are transplanted. Andy Pon the General Manager of Westside transplants, walks us through the transplanting stage of  what will eventually be an important part of \”what\’s for dinner\”. https://westsidetransplant.com   https://plantbreeding.ucdavis.edu

https://tomatowellness.com

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Most of us eat food that comes from all over the world, but supporting local food production for all kinds of reasons is a growingly popular idea. Of course it’s not always possible. Some foods only grow in the tropics or Mediterranean climates. On the other hand local Farmer’s Markets, certain Supermarkets and lot’s of Farm To Table restaurants are making it possible to find more local foods than ever. There is some confusion about what actually is local, since some say it’s up to 350 miles away and others say 50 miles. Would it be possible to draw the circle even smaller and source entirely within city limits?

That’s the idea behind “Food City” a short film about creating a hyper-local meal, with every item farmed, fished or foraged within the city limits of New York City. Film Directors Matthew Fleischmann and Lars Fuchs set out to discover the rich diversity of fish, foul and produce grown in the five Buroughs of New York and to ultimately serve a 4 course meal for eight lucky guests.

Matt and Lars flew from New York to the Sacramento Food Film Festival, where their film was featured at the festival sponsored by the Food Literacy Center. Following local food bites from top Farm to Fork chefs, presentation of featured films and a discussion with the food lovers in attendance, Farm To Table Talk follow Matt Fleischmann and Lars Fuchs back stage to discuss their journey to create a “hyperlocal” Link to Food City:  meal. http://fmtv.go2cloud.org/SH1Rh

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We all know of other times at other tables where we ask for the Bill.  This nation of farmers and consumers have a Bill coming due. It\’s called the \”Farm Bill\”.  Since over 80% of the billions of dollars go to assist consumers rather than farmers, it\’s probably mis-named. Every five years a new Farm/Food/Nutrition/Conservation law has to be re-created and passed by Congress. Like everything else political these days, it\’s more partisan than ever–not just between Democrats and Republicans,r but also between City and Rural areas where increasingly needy families are as easy to find as are farm families.  The Farm Bill touches us all and confounds many of us. Fortunately there are still journalists helping sort through the myths and the facts.  Foremost among those producing  investigative  journalism about food and environmental issues is the Food and Environmental Reporting Network. Sam Fromartz is a veteran journalist and the editor-in-chief who joins Farm To Table Talk to explain pending policy issues and the role of Ag communicators in today\’s partisan climate. www.thefern.org

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How do we get adequate and nutritious food to  billions of tables? We better figure it out because by 2050, there will be ten billion mouths to feed in a world seriously impacted by environmental change. How can we meet this challenge? A diverse group of experts from Purdue University break down this crucial question by tackling big issues one-by-one and cover it in a book entitled, appropriately, \”How To Feed The World\”. They cover population, water, land, climate change, technology, food systems, trade, food waste and loss, health, social buy-in, communication, and, critically, the ultimate challenge of achieving equal access to food. To help us through the key topics and  the  complex web of factors that must be addressed to assure global food security, the co-author, Jessica Eise is our guest on Farm To Table Talk . A doctoral candidate in Purdue\’s Brian Lamb School of Communication, Jessica Eise is a former  guest on Farm To Table Talk when she talked about how Agriculture needs to improve it\’s image and trust with better communications. \”….these are not simple problems, yet we can overcome them. Doing so will require cooperation between farmers, scientists, policy makers, consumers, and many others.\”  https://ag.purdue.edu/feedtheworld/

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If consumers want to know what will be special at their Farmers Market this week and their Farmers want them to know, there out to be an App for that! Well there is, thanks to innovators like Cameron Sluggett, who saw a need and from a San Luis Obispo Incubator, created an App called \”Arkitu\”.  Farm vendors can be sure customers know where to find them and those customers learn instantly what\’s new with their favorite farms.  Cameron is not your average Start Up founder.  He was diagnosed to have Cerebral Palsy as a child and some related issues. In his case the challenges led to an extraordinary computer technology aptitude. His unique journey continued through a stint in Nicaragua and even living in a converted Hawaiian shipping container with an ocean view. In this episode of Farm To Table Talk, Cam shares the story of his journey, his vision for the Arkitu App and why he\’s optimistic about the Farm to Table future.  www.arkitu.co

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Do Trade Wars matter? Only if you farm, eat or do business with those who do. In other words: Absolutely.   There has long been legitimate trade issues with China regarding intellectual property and certain tariffs that they imposed on products including some agricultural commodities.  Many of these issues would have been addressed within the framework of the Trans Pacific Trade Partnership that the Trump administration withdrew from.  Now instead of trade talks the world is dealing with retaliatory tariffs that are a tax on everyone, both ways.   The Trump administration announced tariffs on China and China strikes back; then US retaliates with more and China doubles their hit list, including many US agricultural products.  It doesn\’t stop with China, as Europe, Mexico and Canada have reacted to US threatened tariffs as well.  To talk about the turning tables of trade in this episode of Farm To Table Talk is Dr. Roland Fumasi,  Senior Global Analyst for Rabo Bank, a cooperative agricultural credit bank based in the Netherlands–where the world of trade has always been a priority. Roland focuses on fruit, vegetables and flowers sectors form the bank\’s offices in Fresno, CA. He was raised on a dairy and farming operation in the Sacramento Valley, and served as the Californian State FFA President before attending Cal Poly, where he received both his BS and MS in Agribusiness, achieving his PhD in Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University.  Join trade talks at our table, Farm To Table Talk.

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There is no good food without good water and good sources of water for food and all other necessities of life are harder and harder to come by. The challenges are especially acute where the Farm meets the City.  To meet the needs of a thirsty plants and people, recycling water is  important in some areas today and essential tomorrow.  Randy Record is a farmer and  the Chairman of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California– a water district serving a population of 19 million people and hundreds of the most productive farms in the country.  At MWD he has been an industry leader in innovative agriculture water demand reduction projects in the Palo Verde Valley, and with other ag innovation. In addition, he is on the board of directors of , Eastern Municipal Water District.  At EMWD he has been a leader and advocate for using recycled water in agriculture.  In EMWD’s service they are doing innovative recycled  irrigation programs with Cal Poly and growers of strawberries, potatoes, Asian produce, and other products.  This episode of Farm To Table Talk includes the \’silent partner\’ in our food chain, water, increasingly recycled water. www.emwd.org     

#EMWD #recycledwater #agriculture

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We have all heard that we should care about the health of Bees in our environment, but why? And what can and should be done from farm to table? It turns out that a large percentage of what we eat every day is dependent on bees doing their job  pollinating crops from fields to our own gardens.  This episode\’s table talk is with the Director of Pollination Programs for Project Apis m Billy Synk who manages the Seeds for Bees Project. Billy is an Ohio native who worked with noted bee breeder-geneticist Sue Coby at Ohio State University  and graduated with a degree in Environmental Policy and Management. He has managed bees and participated in bee research projects at UC Davis. The Seeds for Bees program provides free cover crop seed and technical assistance to orchardists  who wish to increase their soil health and pollination efficiency. Project Apis m. a non-profit that is committed to enhancing honey bee health while improving crop production.  It funds and directs research and manages habitat projects that support a diversity of pollinators and wildlife including, honey bees, native bees, monarch butterflies, grouse, pheasants, and songbirds. Love the buzz!

www.projectapism.org/seeds-for-bees-home.html 

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The journey from farm to table begins with farmers, or perhaps FarmHers. When most people imagine the farmer behind their food they automatically picture men; but what about those unknown faces of Women? Marji Guyler-Alaniz recognized that women in Agriculture are overlooked and decided to do something about it. Today she is sharing the faces and the stories of the Women who too often are out of sight and out of mind. She has created FarmHer to spotlight these women of agriculture through her FarmHer TV series (Friday at 9:30 pm ET on RFD-TV), website, blogs, seminars, speaking engagements, social media and incredible photographs.  She joins Farm to Table Talk to share her own journey and what she is learning from the feminine faces of farming.  First we need to recognize that FarmHers are there and then support them as they grow and prosper in what has been too long perceived as a man\’s world in Agriculture. FarmHer.com

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If your favorite food truck switches from kimchee tacos to meat loaf and mashed potatoes, maybe you should talk to your stock broker about divesting. Even when the economy looks rosy, consumers trending back to comfort foods is a sign of \”fearfulness\” says Suzy Badaracco, the President of Culinary Tides. She spots trends on the distant horizon, a swell in the ocean before the tide breaks, that will be clear to all in two years.  Trends change what we order, what is on the menu or in the stores, what farmers grow and how they grow it. The big trends are reflected in the behavior of all generations, but the pre-millennial Generation Z will be profoundly  impacted by Sustainability. This is the first generation that is born in to Sustainability; it\’s all they have ever known. Their household has always recycled in big blue tubs on the curb, filled with recyclable containers for the Organic foods they grew up with.  Older, Millennial or Gen Y generations bought food with a story when they could afford it but these kids will cut back somewhere else rather than make tradeoffs on their food.  A close look at the Trends Shaping the Food Industry (www.culinarytides.com) is in the \”Shifting Sands Forecast\”  and discussed in this episode with Suzy Badaracco on Farm To Table Talk.

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In the middle space between the farmers and the plates on our table, are stores where we shop to find tasty foods that are nutritious and sustainably produced.  Unfortunately, the aisles may be also cluttered with less healthy and less sustainable products.  Mike Teel wants to see that change; in fact Mike Teel wants to change the world one plate at a time.  He is the owner  and CEO of Raley\’s, a supermarket chain of over 120 stores in Northern California. Change in existing supermarkets takes time so with Mike\’s lead Raley\’s is opening a brand new healthy, sustainably focused retail concept, Market 5-one-5.  In this smaller scale store consumers will find a concentrated assortment of organic, healthy, local foods that are earth friendly.  Proving that consumers really want this \’better for you and the earth\’ approach will lead to more of these stores by Raley\’s and their competitors.  On this Farm to Table Talk, Mike explains why it matters to farmers and consumers to \”change the world, one plate at a time.\” www.market5-one-5.com

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What do you really want to do with your life? Sooner or later that question occurs to most of us and for some the answer has to do with farming.  Melissa Phillips grew up in the UK then she and Jack came to Texas for work that came to an abrupt end, forcing them to consider what they really wanted from life.  To search for the answer they climbed in their van with their baby and their dog and took off on a journey that zig-zagged across the West before they found an opportunity to be WOOFers (World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming) at the Kern Family Farm in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  Their story is inspiring.  For others who have already realized some of their dreams, perhaps by becoming farmers, there are new dreams.  Farmers often dream of a longer season. Our second guest on this Farm To Table Talk, Andrew Mefferd, has some answers.  He is the editor and publisher of Growing For Market and the author of The Green House Hoop House Grower Handbook. Hoops could make the difference in the challenge of stretching the season for delicious, local produce. www.growingformarket.com www.kernfamilyfarm.com

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Farm to Table journeys are not just stories of this century. Early in the last century a young, poor girl in New York dreamed big and ultimately launched an American tomato industry that surpassed the traditional global dominance of Italy. From modest beginnings in the big city Tillie Lewis achieved wealth and respect around the world as a female captain of industry, in a misogynistic male environment. Along the way tomato farms were established in California, thousands of minorities were employed, global trade was shifted and consumers were given a new source of their favorite cupboard staple, tomatoes. Farm To Table Talk explores this story of a remarkable pioneering woman, with Kyle Elizabeth Wood, the author of \”Tillie Lewis, The Tomato Queen\”.

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The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsible. Awards are granted to outstanding American food producers and the farmers who provide their ingredients. Recipients push their industries towards craftsmanship and sustainability while enhancing the agricultural landscape and building strong communities. At the 2018 Awards held in San Francisco, we visit with one of the winners, Samantha Genke co-owner of BoxCarr Handmade Cheese from Cedar Grove, North Carolina. First we’re visiting with the Founder of Good Foods, Sarah Weiner. Sarah tell us about the Good Foods Awards and how they promote the delicious and the responsible, all over America. www.goodfoodawards.org     boxcarrhandmadecheese.com

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Hope for farming and climate comes from regenerating our soils. Agronomist, Ray Archuletta \”Ray-the Soil-Guy\” says it\’s not just about cover crops, it\’s about changing minds and health. Ray was a keynote at a rousing EcoFarm panel moderated by Dr.Tim LaSalle of Chico State who make sense of legitimately decelerating climate change with a carbon-farming revolution that is spreading across millions of U.S. acres. They share a story of hope, encouragement and empowering call to action for EcoFarmers and EcoConsumers. \”Humbled by what the Earth wants to teach us if we can payt attention, with proper soil ecology we can feed a world of 9 billion people easily. A few years ago few seemed to care but a recent check of Google shoed that there have been over 790 million hits on \”soil health\”. In this Farm To Table Talk podcast Ray Archuletta and Tim LaSalle introduce each other and then introduce listeners to progress and a future that matters to the Earth. www.eco-farm.org

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Is it Farm to Fork or Farm to Table? Sacramento Chef/Owner Patrick Mulvaney probably votes for the former since he is a leader of the Movement in California. Patrick and Bobbin\’s restaurant, surprisingly named Mulvaney\’s Building & Loan (inspired by It\’s a Wonderful Life) represents everything we love about Farm to Table, er Fork: delicious food, wine, atmosphere, farmer connections, friendly staff and a place to connect for great table talk. Our table talk was accompanied by great wine (Schafer Vineyards & Goldeneye Winery), crusty bread (Manresa) and wonderful cheese (Boxcarr Hand Made Cheese). Listeners will have to add their own refreshments, but this conversation walks through the dream, the farmers, happy consumers and the launch of a true food movement. Bon Appetit! www.mulvaneysbl.com

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What’s with all of the talk about “Regeneration”? We all can probably use some regenerating, but why should we be regenerating our soil? How do you do that and what does it mean for farmers, consumers and the future hungry population of the Earth? David Johnson has the answer to those questions. Dr. Johnson says that everything in our life is dependent on micro-organisms. He is the Director of Sustainable Agriculture at New Mexico State University and he joins Farm To Table Talk to explore a world of biological opportunity right under our feet–ultimately producing more food with less or Zero inputs when we manage for the microbes and fungi in a Bio-enhanced Agriculture.

For more information: Soil Carbon Cowboys – (12 minutes) https://vimeo.com/80518559;
One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts – (15 minutes) https://vimeo.com/170413226;
For interest on the composting process:Johnson Su Bioreactor PDF
https://www.dropbox.com/s/11oxvznptcd3f7c/Johnson-Su%20Bioreactor.pdf?dl=0
and Composting Bioreactor https://youtu.be/DxUGk161Ly8

David Johnson is on the EcoFarm panel January 25, entitled \”Regenerating our Soils Hope For Farming & Climate.\”

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People are interested in knowing how their food is produced and sometimes dream of being a farmer themselves. Many want their food from happy animals and they just assume the farmers are happy too. Maybe they could be happier themselves if they could just farm. That vision is crushed by the depressing news that farmers can be depressed and shockingly have much higher rates of suicide than any other occupation–more than double that of returning veterans. Why? What should be done? Farm to Table Talk sheds light on this sad situation in this conversation with Dr. Michael Rosmann, a psychologist and Iowa farmer. His life’s work involves improving the behavioral healthcare of the agricultural population. He’s been widely featured in media and the New York Times said “he speaks the language of men and women on the verge of losing their place on the land\”. Beyond the turmoil some farmers face, farm life can also provide \”excellent joy\”.

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It is being said that livestock production for meat and dairy consumption is a major threat to our Environment. While these claims are based on a wide range of often questionable data, it is leading to anti-animal agriculture calls to eliminate or at least substantially limit meat consumption. Recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Science suggests that blaming animal agriculture for climate change may be misplaced. In the middle of these controversies about climate change and livestock production for protein consumption is Dr.Frank Mitloehner, a Professor and Air Quality Specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences at UC Davis. He traces much of the public confusion over meat and milk’s role in climate change to mistakes in a 10-year old United Nations report, titled \”Livestock\’s Long Shadow.\” The language was immediately challenged and corrected by the authors, but the original language still lives on line. Since over 70% of the world\’s agricultural land is marginal and cannot be used for growing crops, the UN says that the only way to feed the world is through \”sustainable intensification\”. That means intensifying production systems throughout the world so that we satisfy the global demand for animal protein without depleting our natural resources. Dr. Mitloehner believes \”If you improve efficiency in whatever food production system, then you reduce the environmental foot print\” (or hoof print). Questions arising from points raised in this podcast can go directly to fmmitloehner@ucdavis.edu .

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Wendell Berry says, “We don’t have the right to ask whether we are going to succeed or not; the only question we have the right to ask is what’s the right thing to do? What does this Earth require of us if we want to continue to live on it?” Ideas and beliefs like these in over 40 books, essays, poems and other expressions have established Wendall Berry as a legendary advocate for farmers, land-conserving communities and healthy regional economies. No one articulates the problems with industrialization of all types better than Wendell Berry. He isn’t doing interviews anymore, but fortunately there was a classic interview he did with Bill Moyers in October 2013 that we have permission to share with you on Farm To Table Talk. Bill Moyers is a legend himself for matchless, thoughtful interviews. This interview was produced by the Schumann Media Center and Mannes Productions. For more information about Wendell Berry and the activities of the Berry Center, visit www.berrycenter.org.  The people who produced the original show are acknowledged below.

Produced & Directed by ELENA MANNES; Editor DONNA MARINO; Director of Photography PETER NELSON; Art Direction DALE ROBBINS; Sound ROGER PHENIX; Coordinating Producer KRISTIN LOVEJOY; Associate Producers JESSICA BARI, RENIQUA ALLEN; Additional Camera JAY McCAIN, CHIP SWETNAM; Lighting Director DAN CUNNINGHAM; Grips MIKE DICKMAN, JAMES WISE; Make-up TAMARA LEE; Data Management LUKE STALEY; Production Assistant DAVID ZACHERY; Assistant Editor SCOTT GREENHAW.  Special Thanks: MARY BERRY. TANYA BERRY, BONNIE CECIL, DWIGHT COTTON, ADOLFO DORING, TONY MORENO, LEAH BAYENS, CONNIE KAYS, MICHAEL KELEM, AMANDA ZACKEM Footage and Stills: Appalachian Voices, AP Images, Wendell Berry Family, Shay Boyd, Dan Carraco, Center for Ecoliteracy, Ben Evans, Getty Images, ilovemountains.org, James Baker Hall Archive, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Guy Mendes, Oleg Ignatovich/Pond5, Twistah/Pond5, Kbuntu/Shutterstock, Spotmatik/Shutterstock, Suliman Razvan/Shutterstock, Suwit Gaewsee/Shutterstock, Chad A. Stevens, Wallace Global FundMusic: Courtesy of APM Music:, Abandoned Ruin, Josh Clark, Leon Hunt, Anthill A, Kurt Hummel, Ballad of Willie – Underscore, Ken Anderson, Rebecca Ruth Hall, Ein Takt Für Gitarre, Shih, Gaya-gaya, Hwa Chae Kyung, Completely Calm C, Klaus Stuehlen, Jesse James, Richard Gilks, Unknown, Madonna’s March, Susi Gott, Pianissimo, Bob Bradley, Matthew Sanchez, Quiet Garden, Pascal Bournet, Silent Movements A, John Epping, Jeff Newmann, Skydancer A, Klaus Stuehlen, Skydancer B, Klaus Stuehlen Senior Executive Producer JUDY DOCTOROFF O’NEILL Production Executives KAREN KIMBALL, YUKA NISHINO. A production of the Schumann Media Center, Inc. and Mannes Productions, Inc.© 2013

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Living soil is more than dirt and thriving communities are more than just a city. Urban areas all over are finding that gardens and farms in their midst are bringing healthy food choices, personal growth and renewal of community spirit.  Richmond, California is one of those communities that is benefitting from a community program of gardens and farms.  The Executive Director of Richmond\’s Urban Tilth, Doria Robinson, shares her own journey, the story of Urban Tilth and the reasons  why programs like their\’s makes her optimistic. www.urbantilth.org

Doria Robinson of Urban Tilth is one of the keynote speakers at EcoFarm, January 25 at Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA.

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Why is it that so many people suspect that American Agriculture has been on the wrong track? And perhaps a more important question is why so many people increasingly believe that change is beginning,  pointing American Agriculture and our entire food system in a better direction. Well some credit should go to our guest on Farm To Table Talk, John Ikerd. John was raised on a farm and spent half of his career working in support of ever larger scale agriculture, \”industrialization\”. Then he awakened to the idea that he had been totally wrong and did a U turn, dedicating his time and effort to promoting more sustainable food systems. He’s written books, blogs and given speeches spreading the word of his vision for a better way forward. Farm To Table Talk asks John why when he came to a fork in the road, he took the road to Sustainability. He is finding and helping people on similar journeys all over.  Geography, climate and circumstances vary greatly but they hold passionate beliefs in common. We call it a \’movement\’ but it\’s also a revolution for change to sustain us.

John Ikerd is an EcoFarm  keynote speaker Thursday January 25  at the Asilomar Conference Center, in Pacific Grove California.                    www.eco-farm.org

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Biomass is basically every part of plants, what we eat and what we don\’t.  The more fruits and vegetables that we eat the more BioMass that is left over that can be either a serious problem or a brand new opportunity. Farm to Table explores this new world with Dr. Glenda Humiston, Vice President of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the University of California. We usually just talk about what we eat, but plant \’left overs\’ can contribute to climate change or a large reduction in carbon footprint.  New processing cooperatives could produce Cellulistic nano fibers that can be used to produce hi-tech cross-laminated timber that in turn may be used to build skyscrapers.  A  plant based \”wood first\” policy will replace some concrete and steel buildings that will be stronger in earthquakes and more cost effective to build. Our conversation travels from BioMass to controlled environment farming, food for Mars, opportunities for volunteers and the foundational role of 4-H.

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Whether you farm ideas, dreams, plants or animals we better be prepared.  Joel Salatin, the self-referenced lunatic farmer of Polyface farms has prepared thousands of people for their own type of farming and he\’s doing it again with another book, \”Your Successful Farm Business\”.  As the title suggests, it\’s helpful to farmers, but not just for farmers. In this conversation with Joel we talk about farming, writing books and the common concern found everywhere he\’s been in the world: mistrust. It\’s what is driving people to look for authenticity–the flip side of mistrust. Farming is a subset of the food system–the broadest tent where a mistrustful public\’s hunger for authenticity is ubiquitous. Joel shares a food-centered message for farmers and people who may never have a farm \’farm\’ but who can get energized about not letting farm land turn into another strip mall.

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\”Are we willing to pay more for food or just be quiet and accept the fact that we are an exploitive food system?\”  This is the tough question posed by Ricardo Salvador of the Union of Concerned Scientists on Farm To Table Talk and to an event in San Francisco hosted by the Food &Environmental Reporting Network (FERN) and the Center of Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA).The meeting room at the Ferry Building was filled with Bay Area \’foodies\’, activists, media and others interested in the food movement for a discussion entitled \”Hunger In The Age of Trump\”. A key message is that true sustainability must go beyond environment and include adequate income for farmers, farm workers and others up and down the food chain–all the way to our own table.  Farm To Table Talk brings that straight talk to this podcast with Ricardo Salvador emphasizing that instead of boasting about the shockingly low percentage of disposable income Americans spend on food, we should be ashamed that more doesn\’t go to back from restaurant or retailer workers all the way back to the farmers who also often make just enough to hang on, let alone pay more to their own workers.  If we spend more for food, we may have to spend less on other things, but that’s a conversation for a different podcast, such as the Minimalists.

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Improving food systems is a high priority all over the world. This Farm To Table Talk is about changes that are taking place in India with the help of Cornell University’s Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition. Established with a generous gift from the Tata Trust, the Institute is a long-term research initiative focused on solving problems of poverty, malnutrition and rural development in India. Our conversation with the founder and Director, Dr. Prabhu Pingali and Tata-Cornell PhD scholar Maureen Valentine covers the gamut from the Green Revolution to improving crop systems, raising goats and nutritional gender issues in rural India. We learn what they are doing in India, what is changing because of their work and what we can learn from the efforts to change food systems around the world.

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In times of chaos, Millennials (and others) are spending their time and money on eating really great food and creating uplifting moments, together. People are using food as a way to reconnect with farmers; using food to educate themselves about the the climate–growing things, creating something beautiful that is tangible by nourishing others. Author of \”A Taste of Generation Yum\”, Eve Turow Paul,  was a Keynote Speaker at the reThink Food conference hosted by the Culinary Institute of America and MIT Media Lab. She is a Millennial writer, speaker and brand advisor who sets down at the table for Farm To Table Talk to explain how and why our society is turning to food culture for meaningful lives.

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What does the future hold for a favorite essential, Food? Over the years researchers and authors have taken a stab at answering that question. Now the oldest weekly magazine in the nation, appropriately named “The Nation”, is pulling out the crystal ball to give us a glimpse of what the future of food could or should look like. In a special issue of the magazine The Nation covers “The Future of Food: Setting the Table for the Next Generation.” Reporters and experts focus on building a sustainable food system, perennial grain, culinary rituals, post-coal food transitions, Big Ag, food justice, Silicon Valley and a stiff drink. Zoë Carpenter, The Nation’s associate Washington editor penned the introduction to the food issue and shepherded it to fruition. She has appeared on MSNBC, CNN and now adds to that impressive list by joining in this conversation on Farm To Table Talk about “The Future of Food.”

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Why don\’t we say Ranch to Table? Maybe its because people don\’t think about ranches much at all and if they do it may be a distortion of the predominantly family owned ranches that produce beef across the USA. Like all segments of Agriculture today, technology plays a growing role: from using drones to check the cattle to using smart phones from the saddle to upload and download information. In other important ways Ranchers haven\’t changed, still committed to their family, their cattle, their sustainability and their industry. Kevin Kester is a 5th generation California rancher and an elected leader of the National Cattlemen\’s Beef Association. In this episode of \’Ranch\’ To Table he shares the story of his

family\’s ranch and a new consumer campaign that builds on the heritage of the \”Beef It\’s What\’s For Dinner\” promotions with a social media focused invitation for consumers to #RethinkTheRanch.

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When we talk of change in our food system, is it a \”revolution\” or \”evolution\”? Academy Award®-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy (THE GARDEN, FAME HIGH, OT: OUR TOWN) chooses evolution but the conclusions of his film, Food Evolution are somewhat revolutionary. We visit the Roxie theater in the Mission District in San Francisco for a west coast premier of the film, a conversation with the film-maker and feedback from a panel including a somewhat skeptical  Michael Dimock, President of Roots of Change and an unabashed fan, UC Davis Geneticist, Dr. Pamela Ronald.  The film is narrated by esteemed science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson and is \”set amidst a brutally polarized debate marked by fear, distrust and confusion: the controversy surrounding GMOs and food. Traveling from Hawaiian papaya groves, to banana farms in Uganda to the cornfields of Iowa, FOOD EVOLUTION wrestles with the emotions and the evidence driving one of the most heated arguments of our time\”

Reviews have ranged from \”propaganda\” to high praise such as in the New York Times: \”With a soft tone, respectful to opponents but insistent on the data, “Food Evolution” posits an inconvenient ….\” Michael Dimock, Pamela Ronald and Scott Kennedy don\’t completely agree, but they give us food for thought.  You can listen to the conversation on Farm To Table Talk and find where to see the film at www.foodevolution.com.

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Meat consumption has been blamed for climate change but what if this is completely wrong and instead increasing responsible livestock grazing and the meat consumption that goes with it would actually slow or ultimately reverse climate change? That’s one of the big ideas that we discuss with Abbey Smith, the global network coordinator for the Savory Institute and rancher in Northern CA. The Savory Institute teaches and provide local support (on a global scale) for Holistic Management, one of the pillars of regenerative agriculture–holistic planned grazing. \”1/3 of the earth\’s land surface is grasslands\”..seventy percent have been  degraded—leading to to climate change, floods, droughts, famine, and worldwide poverty\” www.savory.global

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Let\’s have a farm tour! That\’s an idea that is more important than ever, now that so few people have any personal connection with farming–except for their Farmers Market, CSA\’s, Farm To Table Restaurants and retail stores that share farmer stories.  Penny Ellis decided it was time to do something, so a \’meet-up\’ evolved into Open Farm Tours. Ellen Farmer joined her this year for an event that brought over a thousand people to 10 farms.  Farm To Table Talk visits with Ellen Farmer about organizing an event like this and then we visit the farms to talk with the farmers about living their dreams: Sylvia Prevedelli of Prevedelli Farms, Molly Baker of Lonely Mountain Farms, Tom Broz of Live Earth Farm, Dennis Tamura of Blue Heron Farm, Delmar McComb of Blossoms Farm and Rebeccah Pendexter of Stone Meal Farm. They\’re helping connect farms, food and families through www.openfarmtours.com

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Does Minimalism and the Food Movement lead to similar journeys? Searching for the answer leads us to the famous disciples of Minimalism, \”the Minimalisists\” Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn.  They have an outstanding documentary \”Minimalism\” on Netflix, have been featured on the Today Show, New York Times, and now \”Farm To Table Talk\”.  We talk with Ryan Nicodemus about their minimalist journey, food waste, LA and importance of living life deliberately. 

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We hear from farmers and people who want to be farmers, but we don\’t often get to hear from farmers who are 100 years old.  Jack Woolf is 100 years old and shares stories of a long lifetime of accumulating wisdom from hand milking cows as a boy in Arizona to creating a large scale, sustainable farming enterprise in Fresno County California.  His  journey transcends battles in World War II and to battles for water.  Hundreds of families have been touched by his journey, culminating in farming connections for Jack and Bernice\’s six children (Anne, Nancy, John, Mike, Stuart and Chris) and 24 grandchildren.  The third generation is already gathering agricultural experiences that include community garden, WOOFing (World-wide opportunities in organic farming), Fair Trade Coffee, Soil Science, specialty crop farming and water law. Listen to the wisdom accumulated by widely respected Jack Woolf over 100 years on this, the first podcast, featuring a 100 year old farmer, on Farm To Table Talk.

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It\’s a sorry fact that some still see farmers as \”the ignorant guy in the straw hat who doesn\’t understand anything beyond a 12th grade level at best…the ideal career for the simple minded.\” That\’s a harsh perspective and Ventura County farmer, Chris Sayer, aims to disprove those views. A veteran who left a career in Silicon Valley to return to the fig, lemon and avocado orchards of his famiiy\’s Petty Ranch, Chris believes that \”farming is not nature. It is technology.. We are heirs to an ancient and yet dynamic body of Knowledge.\”

Our conversation with Chris is joined by the editor of the UC Food Observer, Rose Hayden-Smith. As we wander through the orchards we learn about figs, lemons, avocados, global trade, water stewardship and about soil that is far better today than it was when the land was Spain\’s.

www.ucfoodobserver.com

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Farm to Table means different things to different people but many would agree that restaurants and their chefs have led the way on our Farm to Table journey. Chefs might say that they have been led by their own customers who have shown a preference for food with a story all the way back to the farm: the farmer, unique varieties or breeds, production practices and overall sustainability. In this episode of Farm To Table Talk we are joined at the table by Greg Drescher, the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Industry Leadership with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to explore what Farm To Table means in the Culinary world and the trends that change menus.

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All over the country there are pockets of struggling neighborhoods who are working to improve their situations. Increasingly food production is central to these community efforts to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The Yisrael Family Urban Farms is in the middle of one of those underserved communities where 17% are food insecure, 46% receive food assistance, 34% are below the poverty rate and 18% are unemployed. Chanouk and Judith Yisrael started growing food for themselves before gaining approvals to establish a community garden in a closed elementary school. From this beginning they expanded into a an urban farm on a lot across the street and are helping their neighbors learn to grow and to cook food for their own families. Today their advice is sought from all over the US and as far away as Italy. They share their inspiring story to help their own family and their community on Farm To Table Talk.

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The demand for Organic foods keeps growing, so the industry from farm through processors has to keep growing to keep up with that demand. That means that Organic rules and regulations have to be updated for necessary improvements. In the middle of all of this and a catalyst for these changes, is the Organic Trade Association. To explore Organic progress, pending issues and the future, we set down for a lunch conversation at the Assembly in Santa Cruz with the CEO of the Organic Trade Association, Laura Batcha. Before becoming the Association’s CEO, Laura has been involved with all segments of Organics, beginning on an Organic farm near Santa Cruz, California. It seems appropriate since we\’re talking about food, to start this conversation with the co-owner of the Assembly restaurant, Kendra Baker who share her passion for the food they serve and the farmers who supply them. @OrganicTrade

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More and more we want to know where are food was produced, what farming practices they followed, who are the farmers and are the farmers and workers along the way treated fairly. That’s easier if the farmer is your neighbor, but what if that farmer is half a world away? For many products, such as cocoa or coffee, there are no local grower options. Our guest today on Farm To Table Talk, Emily Benson works with cocoa farmers in the Congo and Peru to positively impact social, environmental and farmer profitability outcomes. Emily is the supply chain impact manager with Theo Chocolate, a Seattle- based chocolate company that is committed to ethical production from bean to bar, placing equal importance on people, planet and profit.

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Sometimes local produce is available, but most of the time it\’s not due to the seasons. There is a new brand established to change that by growing local, perishable produce for area retailers in hydroponic green houses year round. Neal Parikh of Bright Farms explains how they are sustainably achieving a goal of decentralizing Agriculture– vertically building, owning and operating hydroponic greenhouses throughout the MidWest and East Coast for Supermarket partners.

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As much as consumers want to take advantage of lower costs for their food, there is certain amount of anxiety about \”Big Food\” or \”Big Ag\”, globalization, Wall Street, industrialization, \”Big Government\”. Trust is hard to come by for large brands and one of the biggest retail brands in the world is Walmart. It’s a company that keeps surprising the skeptics as it takes big steps to influence sustainability through their own supply chain all the way from the farm through the products they sell at retail and even to the use of the products that they don’t sell. To share some perspectives on what they do, why they do it, and to what effect Farm To Table talks with Eileen Hyde, the Walmart Foundation\’s Director of Hunger and Healthy Eating.

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Every farmer is proud to explain the improvements they\’ve made in sustainability. Tragically that progress doesn\’t insulate them from existential threats of over regulation. John Duarte, farmer and President of Duarte Nursery, is one of those unfortunate enough to successfully purse the dream of sustainability, only to be laid low by Federal legal action that threaten the five generation family operation. The Army Corps of Engineering has taken the Duarte\’s to court, but John Duarte still sees a long-term upside \”We need to protect the integrity of our environmental laws so we can come together to solve future environmental problems….We have a legitimate durable ability to compromise and solve problems.\” This isn\’t a typical Farm To Table visit, but if you truly want to know the full story behind that Sauvignon clone and almonds we enjoy before dinner, here is a challenge that farmers: large, small, organic or conventional, face today. www.duartenursery.com

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Some would say that Farm To Table started 50 years ago when Alan Chadwick established the Organic Garden at the University of California at Santa Cruz. That Garden led to one of the first bona-fide Organic Farms and over the past 50 years has propelled a food movement. This episode of Farm To Table Talk is at UC Santa Cruz, where its Center of Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Farm & Garden.

Fittingly, illustrious former apprentices, students and long-time supporters gathered to reflect on the impact this program is having on the world of food and to be challenged to take it to the next level. Three keynote Speakers at the Conference share their vision, their passion and what they ask of us.

We lead off with a conversation with Karen Washington, a recognized Food Justice leader and co-founder of Rise & Root Farm and Black Urban Growers.

Then a self-described descendant of slaves, farmer, chef and proud alumni of the Santa Cruz apprenticeship, Matthew Raiford says we can be the change that’s needed.

And finally in her remarks from the podium, the world-renowned food movement leader, founder of the Edible School Yard and creator of California Cuisine, Alice Waters give us a bold goal for Farm to School that could be accomplished in 5 years.

Join this Farm To Table Talk at UC Santa Cruz in a conversation with Karen Washington then become part of the audience as you hear calls to action from Matthew Raifford and Alice Waters.

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Well told stories about farmers and farming are few and far between. Too often those stories are dry and boring documentaries to the general public. You can\’t say that about the movie, Pray for Rain. Where documentaries preach to the choir, this movie instead wraps a message in to a very entertaining murder mystery, down on the farm. The star, Annabelle Stephenson; writer Christina Moore; and director Alex Ranarivelo join Farm To Table Talk to share what they learned in farm country while making this film and why telling stories better is critical if we want the public to care about what\’s happening down on the farm.

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Rodger Wasson: Welcome to Farm to Table Talk, where we talk about our food and how it’s grown. I’m your host, Rodger Wasson.

If we can produce food without soil, why does soil matter? Well there’s no one better to speak up for soil than our guest today who has a lifetime of work as an advocate for soil health and a pioneer of organic farming. He’s a farmer, a distinguished fellow with The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, president of the board at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in New York and he’s widely recognized as a person that understands why soil does matter. And I’m just really delighted to welcome him back to Farm to Table Talk – Fred Kirschenmann. Fred – welcome to Farm to Table Talk.

Fred Kirschenmann: Well it’s my pleasure.

Rodger Wasson: Fred, you have spoken in favor of Earth and taking care of Mother Earth your entire career. And yet it just seems like Mother Earth needs defending all the time. And this has come up recently, Fred, because there’s been a lot of conversation that you’re able to produce food hydroponics, aquaponics, biponics, and you don’t necessarily have to have soil. So I think this begs the question – how do we explain soil and what shape the soil is in – why does that matter?

Fred Kirschenmann: Well at the heart of that issue for me is the whole issue of reductionism which has been part of our culture for a long time and we still seem to think we can continue to operate that way. That is that we basically want to have the maximum output for the minimum input. And so we’ve assumed that all we have to do if you want to raise food hydroponically, all we gotta do is put in the nutrients the water needs to produce the food we want and then it’s gonna be fine. And there are at least two major problems with that. One is that it does not take into consideration the complexity of natural systems. I think that for me, one of the recent publications that really bring that home to us is David Montgomery and Anne Biklé’s book The Hidden Half of Nature, which really goes into great detail to describe to us the kind of complex microbial community that lives in the soil and that maintains the soil and the affect that the soil has on the food when we know the soil comes from that complex living community.

The other part of it is that we’ve been able to “sustain” this high input system for about the last 100 years in our food system. And the reason we’ve been able to do it is because we had all these natural resources which were necessary to get those inputs. And if you think about our current food system it is enormously dependent on what Ernest Schusky called the “neocaloric era,” that is the era where we’ve been using old calories and they are old because they are not renewable and our whole food system has been dependent on that.

Rodger Wasson: Wait just a minute. That’s a really unusual way of putting it. Old calories. So I suppose they’re as old as dinosaurs that have been turned into oil.

Fred Kirschenmann: Some of them are. But the thing is most of these are calories that have been accumulated in the Earth, in the soil, for thousands and thousands of years. So you have for example fossil fuels in our current food system this high input system is very much dependent on these fossil fuels. Not only for mining them and processing them, and putting them in the soil, but for growing our agriculture products, etc. And there’s also things like rock phosphate that we mine and process into phosphorus and there are only four countries that have rock phosphate reserves and at the rate we are mining them, researchers that have looked at this are telling us that at best we have maybe 20 years of rock phosphate, maybe not more than another 10 years. So the question then becomes, how do you maintain a high input food production system when you no longer have these inputs and then you have to add other inputs that most of us don’t think about as non renewable, like water and soil.

Rodger Wasson: Wow. Using resources that are somewhat finite, we’re beginning to run out I suppose.

“We are beginning to move in the right direction in terms of understanding the kind of living community that soil is.” Fred Kirschenmann: Yeah. There are two things: The resources are finite, they’re old calories, we’re going to run out of them at some point. The other is also that if you really want to eat food that not only fills your gut but that sustains your health, then you have to look at all the complexity of the living systems, microbial activities that Montgomery and Biklé talk about in their book. So even if you were able to find all those non-renewable resources that you could plug in, in order to make it grow, or make it produce, you still are missing the kind of health producing capacities that are in good healthy soil. Not to say that all soil does that because if we don’t manage our soil for its regenerative capacity so that those microbes can come to life and multiply and produce all of those benefits, then it’s also not doing everything that soil can do. As recently as 15 years ago, even soil scientists would refer to soil as a material to hold a plant in place. Well, fortunately they aren’t doing that anymore. Almost all of the literature is talking about soil health, so we are beginning to move in the right direction in terms of understanding the kind of living community that soil is.

Rodger Wasson: Has anybody done any studies to see what the impact might be on human health?

Fred Kirschenmann: I haven’t yet seen a really good peer reviewed study but there are individual physicians who have begun to discover this in their own practices. Daphne Miller is a family health professional at the University of California and she teaches family medicine but also has her own clinic. She’s published a book called Farmacology. She has discovered in her own practice that when you put people on a diet of whole food from healthy soil, that does more to sustain their health than any kind of pharmaceuticals that you can come up with.

There’s a second physician, she’s published a book called The Dirt Cure. She runs a clinic for children and as we all know the rate of childhood diseases that are diet related have just been exploding. She opened a clinic based on her research and her experience as a practicing physician and she has found that when you put these children with these diseases on a diet of whole food from healthy soil, they start to become healthy in a matter of weeks. And in her book she goes into great detail on how we’ve gotten to where we are and how now we need to move in this new direction in terms of healthcare, grounded in healthy soil. Which comes from feeding the microbial community in the soil.

Rodger Wasson: Fred, I wonder if some of these large corporations, if they’ll try to promote and incorporate soil building into the system so they can tell that story. I mean if enough people want to hear the story about how it’s done and know that, maybe that’s something that they’ll be marketing in the future. My wishful thinking perhaps.

“Food from healthy soil… is the future of the food system.”

Fred Kirschenmann: That’s another great observation. Some of the good news that I’ve been seeing at some major food companies – General Mills being one of them. General Mills purchased Annie’s a number of years ago and the Vice President of Annie’s called me a couple of months ago and she said I want to talk to you because what the managers of General Mills want me to figure out how they can find food from farmers that have produced food from healthy soil because that is the future of the food system.

There’s a beginning awareness and part of that is because, I don’t want to romanticize the millennial generation, but in my experience at least, there’s the beginnings of a transformation that is taking place in our culture. People in the millennial generation are trying to move to a future where we do things for the common good. And when you make that transition in your spiritual center, you begin to look more for the kind of food that comes from the kinds of things we’ve been talking about. Companies are starting to recognize that and if they want to be successful very far into the future, they have to pay attention to this.

Rodger Wasson: Soils are so different if you go from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Every part of the country probably has to have a different approach to how they have to treat their soils, don’t they?

Fred Kirschenmann: Yeah. And this brings up another issue. We’ve gotten so used to in our industrial culture – we can produce one kind of seed and sell it to farmers anywhere in the world. Or we can get food from wherever we want. Or sell it to wherever we want. And there’s this global uniformity because that’s the most efficient from an economic point of view.

John Thackara published a new book, How to Thrive in the Next Economy. John Thackara published an interesting book back in 2006 called In the Bubble on the Internet and he had a different perspective around the Internet and he was exactly right on that. But what he discovered and what he pointed out in The Hidden Half of Nature is that there’s a new economy developing now and he discovered this based on his travels around the world. And what he claims is already happening and much more in the developing world than in the developed world but to some extent even happening in the developed world is that people are beginning to recognize that this global economy just doesn’t function for them anymore. So they’ve begun to look at their own biological region and ask themselves – how do we thrive? How do we create an economy where we can thrive in our own region? And then they begin to come together and they look at their ecological resources and they figure out how to use those resources in a way that they get regenerated in the process of using them and then food and agriculture of course becomes a critical part of that.

He said for all of these bioregions there’s a similar kind of transformation and it’s about how people think about growth. Growth is no longer about unlimited economic growth. Growth now is about generating life on Earth and that becomes the primary focus of the way they can flourish and thrive in their own regions. I think that we’re going to see that as these resources that we’ve been dependent on for these inputs become dysfunctional, you’re going to see more and more people coming to look at bioregions.

Here in the Midwest, there’s an area called the driftless region. It’s a little bit of the corner of Iowa and Minnesota and Wisconsin and a little bit of Illinois. This driftless region is an absolutely rural economy. There’s a new study that’s come out and apparently there are people that are beginning to say – wait a minute. You know, we just produced some corn and beans and we shipped them out and we totally depend on other people to feed us? Why don’t we start growing some of our own food? And so there’s now the beginnings of a movement to transform that whole driftless region by people living in that region and looking at how they can have a much more thriving region, looking at how they can vitalize their own area for their own people.

Rodger Wasson: You know I hope that somebody that’s listening to this maybe has something to share that they are doing in their own region because I hear this from time to time. The thing that also strikes me about it, Fred, is that they are all doing whatever works for them. I mean, it’s not like somebody sent out a master plan from Washington saying – let’s all do this. They are finding what is the strength of the region and then finding links between the farmer and the restaurants and the schools and so forth. And it’s getting new people into the businesses too.

“The farmers and people in the city are developing a common bond and working at all of this together to have a food system that provides the kind of quality food that people what made available in an affordable way.”Fred Kirschenmann: Yeah. This is not just about people in the city asking farmers to do things differently. The farmers and people in the city are developing a common bond and working at all of this together to have a food system that provides the kind of quality of food that people want made available in an affordable way.

Also this driftless region, Robert Wolf who is a writer and he has written a little book about this called Building the Agricultural City – A Handbook for Rural Renewal and he goes into great detail about how this is happening in the driftless region.

Rodger Wasson: I tell you what, Fred… It is always great to talk to you because you’re so excited. You’ve spent decades in this and it doesn’t sound like your enthusiasm is any less at all. And that’s my final question for you – I want you to kindof revisit these enthusiasms we’ve been talking about and tell me over the next four to 5 years, what is it that gives you the most hope, the most reason to be enthusiastic about what’s going on with the food system?

Fred Kirschenmann: That’s a great question. You know, it’s very easy to become terribly discouraged and even pessimistic if you look at the downsides of things. I’ve always found that when there are things that are not going to work well, that are going to be bad for you, they always get to a point where enough people realize that this is not the way we ought to do this anymore. And then come incentives for innovative ways of doing things.

“There’s grounds, if you really look behind the scenes a little bit, I think we’re going to have a lot of opportunities for significant change in our future.”

I think there’s a lot of things that we often look at as being terrible and bad for us but they also become the motivators for bringing about change and doing things differently. This is why I like John Thackara’s way of how to thrive in the next economy. It’s really about flourishing and having a more flourishing life. I don’t talk to hardly anybody now that is totally focused on a flourishing life. Most of us are focused on the kindof bad things that are happening, and that’s understandable. But there’s also grounds, if you really look behind the scenes a little bit, I think we’re going to have a lot of opportunities for significant change in our future.

Rodger Wasson: Well that’s exciting. I think, Fred Kirchenmann, you live a flourishing life and you’re affecting a lot of us, providing inspiration for us to see both a bright side and a realistic way we are moving forward with our food system. I just want to thank you for being a friend and for talking to us today on farm to table talk.

Fred Kirschenmann: It’s my pleasure.

Interview has been condensed and edited. Listen to full interview on Farm to Table Talk.

Millions of people are now committed Minimalists, seeking a simpler, scaled down life style. They are discovering backyard chickens, so what about sheep? It turns out many have and are raising their own sheep in large back yards or small fields at city\’s edge. Paul Rodgers, the Deputy Director of the American Sheep Industry, has been raising sheep on the side at his place in Virginia. Today there are inquiries from coast to coast about how to get started with sheep. In this Farm To Table Talk podcast Paul walks through the necessary steps and economics of raising. Transitioning Minimalists may find that sheep are rewarding in more ways than one.

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It\’s harvest time for tomatoes and the journey to our plates begins here in the field. How are the delicious fresh flavors of summer produced and preserved? all the way from seed to our plates year round? Central Valley Tomato farmer, Stuart Woolf joins us in his family\’s tomato field and explains the wonder of continuous improvement — sustainably growing more tomatoes with fewer inputs. Think of this story the next time you enjoy tomato products on your pizza, enchiladas, hamburgers, salad or this winter\’s stews and soups. More information is available at www.tomatowellness.com

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Javier Zamora was born in Michoacan, Mexico. From age 7, Javier helped tend the family’s vegetable plot and worked in his school’s 5 acre garden. Javier came to the States at age 20 where he earned his landscaping degree from San Joaquin Delta College and his organic production degree from Cabrillo College, and trained at the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) in Salinas. He is now the proud owner and operator of JSM Organics, cultivating berries and unique varieties of vegetables and flowers in Royal Oaks and Aromas, CA. He is a member of the Board of the Ecological Farming Association., sponsors of the annual Eco Farm.
Although he didn\’t speak any English when he came to the US, you\’ll hear that he has no problem today communicating exactly what he believes. Javier is passionate about farming and the opportunities it provides for thousands of farmers like him, who may also have been born across the border but have grown from farm work to management to ownership and becoming respected producers of high quality food. They are an important, major part of the changing face of farming in the USA.

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More people, eating more fish are more discerning about their choices; but is it really sustainably fished and is it the type of fish that it\’s advertised to be? This isn\’t a new question, but it is new that the ability to get honest answers is much more accessible. Hayley Nuetzel, is a PhD student, the daughter of a fisherman and already an experienced investigator–even engaging high school students in her surveys. Farm To Table Talk visits with Hayley at the WestSide Farmers Market about fish fraud, Seafood sustainability and why she is optimistic about a future where consumers care and get the fish they want.

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Eggs are good for you and \”Hens are Fun\”! What more should we know? Well, more than you think. Jesse LeFlamme came back to the family farm and is leading the way to producing free range organic egss that meet the needs of today\’s consumers who care about more than just nutrtion; they care about how animals are raised. Jesse\’s family farm, today\’s Pete & Gerry\’s, has created a model of sustainably producing eggs and has helped other farmers join their journey, resulting in Pete & Gerry\’s organic free range eggs being available in nearly every state in the country. In this Farm To Table Talk podcast we explore consumer demand, retail response and the journey being followed by progressive farmers, doing the right things for the right reasons. www.peteandgerrys.com @peteandgerrys

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60% of deaths in the US have poor diet as a contributing cause–we\’re eating ourselves sick, says Cathryn Couch, the Founder and Executive Director of Ceres Community Project. If people just ate the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, mortality would be reduced by 40%. A 3 year medically tailored meal pilot project is setting out to prove that providing poor people with healthy meals will save millions of dollars in health care costs and more importantly save lives. Cathryn says that we can provide meals for someone for a full year for the cost of one day in a hospital. The Food Is Medicine Coalition is engaged in supporting medically tailored meal programs across America. There is legitimate optimism about these projects because there is such an epidemic of chronic disease putting tremendous pressure on health care costs, providing good food options is \’low hanging fruit\’. If we invest in food, we save money and insurers will have reason to jump on the bandwagon. www.ceresproject.org #fimcoalition

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Steve Forbes is bullish about the future of food and feeding the world. We speak to him at the Forbes AgTech Summit where he challenged Silicon Valley and Agriculture to connect for long term sustainability.

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The front line for battling weeds may well be Arkansas, where weed resistance to Monsanto\’s Round Up ready products has led to new GMO seeds that are resistant to applications of two or more additional pesticides, notably Dicamba. Dicamba helps control the toughest weeds, but it can drift on to other crops or Soybean fields that are not planted with the newest GMO variety. This has led to extreme, neighbor, public and political battles about the future for Dicamba and possibly other products as well. To set the stage of what\’ happening from the farm level perspectives, we welcome Dr. Bob Scott, Extension Weed Specialist with the University of Arkansas for table talk: \”weeds find a way\”. Attention is focused on Arkansas now, but other states are expected to follow.

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We are witnessing the birth of a new food activism that is both oppositional and collaborative. Dr. Julie Guthman teaches and writes to encourage budding agrarians and the rest of us to pick a battle, take stances, be political work on policy or simply just work on something that looks to be really wrong. Her students at the University of California at Santa Cruz have completely changed from somewhat passive in the past to feeing total outrage now about the political environment. Dr. Guthman has written extensively about food and agriculture including in her books: \”Agrarian Dreams\”, \”Weighing Obesity, Food Justice and the Limits of Capitalism\” and her soon to be published newest book, \”The New Activism\”. \”These times cause us to be horrified and hopeful… Pick your battle.\”

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BPA or the absence of BPA is a new point of information on food and beverage container labels–confusing to some and welcomed by others. Mistrusting agencies, manufacturers, technology and chemistry has led to marketing and labeling strategies that have created label lists of what\’s not in foods. BPA is one of those things that many don\’t understand but feel pressured to take a position. This episode of Farm To Table Talk has a conversation with Steve Hentges the Executive Director of the Poly Carbonate/BPA Global Group at the American Chemistry Council. Yes, this is an Industry Association whose members manufacture BPA but they also manufacture the alternatives and have a good reputation for backing solid science. He explains what is BPA, how it is used, why it matters and the state of the science and regulations.

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If you care about the food system you probably already know about Civil Eats and if you don\’t, you need to check it out after you listen to this podcast with Civil Eats founder and editor Naomi Starkman. Civil Eats has a fresh story daily that features work advancing improvements in the food system. Naomi was a lawyer, journalist and a farmer before launching Civil Eats. Along the way she\’s been inspired, mentored and be-friended by all of the pioneers of the Food Movement. She returns the favor by sharing and encouraging others to take risks and try new things–maybe farming. If there is a silver lining to the recent political clouds, it is that people are more motivated to make a difference. Naomi believes that each of us can make a difference and have a role to play by choosing what we want to eat, what kind of changes we want to see in the food system and doing something, even volunteering. And contrary to recent experience it can be done with a tone that is Civil. The Civil Eats article about changing the food system that Naomi references in the podcast is http://civileats.com/2014/05/13/want-to-change-the-food-system-heres-where-to-start/

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Pork is the most consumed meat in the world, yet there are mixed perceptions on how pigs are grown–in animal \”factories\” or outdoors on small farms. Large scale pig farmer Malcolm DeKryger and Fair Oaks Pig Adventure are taking impressive steps in transparency to show just what happens in a modern large scale pig farming operation. Over 80,000 visitors this past year were able to observe through glass windows everything from pig birth. Less than an hour from downtown Chicago, a steady stream of visitors are coming to the farm daily. In this episode of Farm To Table Talk, Malcolm, the President of Belstra Milling and the pig production enterprises, talks about pig production transparency, antibiotics use changes and the reasons for his optimism about a promising future in Agriculture. In their own operation the children of employees have gone to College and returned to be a part of the faming operation and many other young people are asking how they can follow the same track and become pg farmers too. More information about the Fair Oaks Pig Adventure is available at ffofarms.com and belstrafarming.com

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All over America and around the world people yearn to be “Outstanding in the Field”—connecting their food and the farmers that grow it. This is evident by Farm to Table dinners in every State, led by the pioneer of this trend “Outstanding in the Field”. Farm To Table Talk gets the story from founder Jim Denevan (www.outstandinginthefield.com); the featured chef for this event Brad Briske, Home Restaurant (www.homesoquel.com); and winemaker Jeff Emery, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard (www.santacruzmountainvineyard.com) \”Connection is the thing that\’s most powerful about agriculture and food. People are hungry for fulfilling theseconnections. It makes them happy!\”

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The Washington Post headline laments “The labels said ‘organic.’ But these massive imports of corn and soybeans weren’t.” Conventional grain shipped to Turkey from the Ukraine, suspiciously became Certified Organic in transit to its final destination in the United States, through the port of Stockton. Another headline posts “Why your ‘organic’ milk may not be organic.” Consumers follow these stories because they care more than ever about how their food is produced and that there is honest identification of origin and methods. That’s a lot more information than they can count on from product labels, but fortunately there are still a few Newspapers left in the Country that allow talented reporters to do ‘deep dives’ with investigative reporting for long form stories. The Washington Post is clearly one of the leaders of this type of journalism and Peter Whoriskey is that sort of curious professional investigative journalist. Peter is the author of these and other food/health based articles in the Washington Post. He joins us for a Farm To Table conversation about past, present and future reports on false identification in the food system.

Reports like these start wheels turning. The Cornucopia Institute raised questions about large scale organic farming. The California Certified Organic Farmers (a certification agency) in a letter to the Editor points out that organic certification is rigorous with agencies deputized by the USDA to review detailed farm plans and inspect each operation at least once annually. Government policy is effected by the news too. A new federal Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices rule is pending. A Chinese farmer admits that he can’t meet US Organic standards because of extreme water and air pollution contamination in China. Congressional oversight committees schedule hearings on these issues. Meanwhile Peter Whoriskey and his Washington Post editor keep an eye out for more stories that the “clicks” show that their readers care about a great deal.

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What consumers believe about food and how they behave is continually evolving. To track, understand and predict the ever evolving consumer perspectives, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) conducts an annual Food & Health consumer survey. IFIC\’s Dr. Alex Lewin-Zwerdling and Liz Sanders share with Farm To Table Talk key points that have been learned in the recently completed Survey. Not surprisingly consumers still rank Taste and Price as most important in making food choices, but Health has now passed \”Convenience\” and Sustainability has risen to the top tier of what matters most to consumers–especially Millenials. Consumers are ore inclined to make small changes instead of a big overhaul. Health \”halos\” are created with \”fresh, short ingredient list, natural food store origin, expensive, name brand,\”, etc. Consumers have different ideas about processed: a bag of baby carrots is viewed as \”processed\” food but if they are labled \”Organic baby Carrots\” they are not considered \”processed\”. The 2017 Food & Health Survey is available at www.foodinsight.org

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If any University has the right to the claim \”Mothership\” of sustainable and Organic food production, it is the University of California at Santa Cruz. For the past FIFTY (50) years trainees and students have come to Santa Cruz from all over the world for inspiration and to learn sustainable farming and gardening skills. It started in 1967 with the unlikely intervention of a Countess bringing a global Organic prophet with unparalleled hands-in-the-soil experience to the beautiful new UC Campus on a hill overlooking Monterey Bay. The seeds of these endeavors have sprouted Agrocecology, Food Justice, Farm To Table, Farm To School, Urban Gardens and thousands of disciples. The celebration of this remarkable half century at UCSC is underway. More information on the 50th celebration and the on-going opportunities at UCSC are available at casfs.ucsc.edu , the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems. Martha Brown, Principal Editor and Daniel Press, Executive Director share the history and opportunities sustainability and organic devotees at the Mothership on the Farm to Table Talk Podcast.

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If your wish is to \”enhance public discussion of biotechnology\” be careful what you wish for because you draw fire from both sides when you don\’t choose a \”tribe\”. Biofortified co-founder Dr. Karl Haro von Mogel knows that feeling. His organization is clearly pro-biotech, but recognizes shortcomings too and has taken efforts to not simply be a cheerleader for the multi-national companies marketing genetically engineered products. Putting a clever spin on the jeers about \”Franken (stein) Foods\” they created Frank N. Foode, your friendly neighborhood genetically modified organism. Frank N. Foode and other resources can be found on their website, www.biofortified.org

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\”Alternative Agriculture\” was the then controversial subject of a report by the National Academy of Science in the 80\’s. It was \”food for thought\” that contributed to a decade of food/farming debates that culminated in a national law creating \”Organic\” certification. Nearly a decade later the rule was finally implemented and Organics have been growing ever since. In the middle of all this has been Dr. Chuck Benbrook. In this episode of Farm To Table Talk, Dr. Benbrook explores what\’s gone right, what\’s gone wrong and why we should be optimistic about the future of farm to table. To learn more about Dr. Benbrook\’s current focus, you can visit www.hygeia-analytics.com

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There is a lot to learn from a Barnyard and Ron Wasson is sharing those lessons with thousands of people by bringing the barnyard to them. It\’s a known fact that there are fewer people living on or near farms and consequently fewer people that know anything about farm animals and farms. In this podcast there are guest \’vocals\’ from chickens, goats, sheep, ducks, horse, calf, pig, dog, cats, turkey and others (only the rabbits were quiet). What do barnyard animals have to tell us that\’s relevant to modern farming. Actually quite a bit. www.barnyarddiscoveries.com

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If Earth suffers, what\’s for dinner? The Earth may have no better friend than Fred Kirschenmann, distinguished fellow with the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, President of the Board at Stone Barn Center and North Dakota farmer. How well we care for soil has a direct effect on what our food does for us. Earthlings are getting \’wake up\’ calls at an opportune time when a new generation is no longer focusing just on \”me and my\” culture. How we farm and what we eat matters. Instead of just \”growth\” we can aim to regenerate life on earth–thriving and flourishing in our own ways and right in our own neighborhoods.

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Do you need good soil to have good food? Not necessarily. Some say that to be Organic, crops should be grown in sustainably developed soil while others believe that should not be necessary as long as the production system used avoids pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers. Melody Meyer, the vice President of Policy and Industry Relations for United Natural Foods (UNFI) explains the systems, the controversy and the implications for farmers and consumers on this episode of Farm To Table Talk.

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You don\’t have to be rich to get real value from shopping Farmers Markets. The Ag Institute of Marin (CA) manages Farmer\’s Markets in one of the most prosperous regions in the country, the San Francisco Bay area; however there are still many needy people who struggle to put healthy food on their tables. The Ag Institute helps make ends meet with a programs that help make food more affordable for those in need. The Director of Markets, Peter Healey, explains these initiatives, plus other programs and plans, including a proposal to build a Year Round Roofed facility.

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Gluten free is a growing preference for some but a matter of life and death for others. When Forrest Smith was two years old he nearly died from Celiac disease, but it was identified and he grew up to produce gluten free oats and oat products in Wyoming for the World. We think of oats as being \”gluten free\” naturally but there are lots of ways that the oats can become contaminated from the farm equipment or in the mill. There has to be strict quality control and safety standards adhered to beginning with the planting of the oats and continuing through the food chain to the retail shelf. www.gfharvest.com

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It\’s no accident that food keeps improving in Safety, Healthfulness, Affordability, Taste and Sustainability. Research and commitment leads the way.There are better Organic food choices available today than in the past and there will be even better choices available in the future. It won’t just be because of evolution or luck—today offers better choices than yesterday and tomorrow will be better yet because of research and successful implementations of what we learn from that research.

In this Farm To Table Talk we will cover food’s journey from best to better with Dr. Jessica Shade, the Director of Science Programs with the Organic Center. From being first inspired working with the Organic farm at UC Santa Cruz to completion of her PhD and management of the science programs of the Organic Center, Jessica\’s belief in Organic food and farming has deepened–especially when she was expecting her daughter and the health effects of research findings took on special meaing.

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With his feet planted in the Georgia soil that has been in his family since 1874, Chef Matthew Raiford has his heart in the kitchen where he brings the best of regional, local and organic meals to thankful customers. His journey is unique in many ways, including going West to study Agroecology at the the University of California Santa Cruz. Although the front line of the Farm To Table movement seems light on diversity, there are over 120 African American certified organic farmers in this area. The Chef explains his passion for the soil/farm/table channel and suggestions for future chefs, new farmers and consumers. \”The most intimate thing you can do for someone is to cook them a meal by cooking with your heart and letting it come through your hands. However, being able to talk about the soil, seeds, pasture and environment in which that food you are cooking is grown in should always be an integral part of that intimate act.\” www.farmerand larder.com

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It is a fact that fewer children or their parents know much about how their food is produced, but wish that they did. It\’s also a fact that many with Zero connection to farming wish they could become farmers. That\’s good news since the average farmer is close to 60 years old and has no one lined up to take over their farming operations. Wolfe\’s Neck Farm and Stonyfield Organic are providing opportunities to learn about dairy farming and even to become a dairy farmer. Britt Lundgrenn, the Director of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture for Stonyfield shares the need, the vision and the progress of this journey to this future for farming.

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You can love animals and still eat them; in fact any conversation about sustainable food systems should include the positive contribution of livestock. From her family\’s farm home in Massachusetts, Diana Rodgers has an understanding beyond just what might be expected of a bright Registered Dietitian. She blogs, speaks and visits with us on Farm to Table Talk about life as an ethical omnivore. Listen here and visit her site, www.sustainabledish.com

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\”Please pass me some more DNA\”. It\’s in everything we eat and for some it\’s the center of controversy. Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam has heard it all from the early years of \”GMO\” to the next emerging stages of genetic engineering. It\’s still to be confirmed whether the newer techniques of genetic engineering will even be called GMO, but it will no do doubt have fans and critics. Genetic progress has always been central to food production, but we haven\’t seen anything yet to compare with the new horizons. Some will fret and others will cheer but all will experience the application of these technologies at Dinner time.

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Is it really Farm to Table or is it Farm to Fable? That\’s a question that Tampa Bay restaurant critic, Laura Reiley, first asked in her famous investigative series a year ago. Her articles became famous all over the world, reporting that in many cases restaurants were making claims about the origin of their food that simply were not true–or as we say these days \”hyperbolic\” or \”alternative facts\”. We spoke to her after the series was published and just re-connected to find out whether she believes there has been change for the better. Sadly mendacity is still present and spinning its way in to larger chains. As a critic she is careful to not show her face, but she won\’t walk away from these awkward issues. She suggests the responsibilities we all have to promote honest food.

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What can we do? With his wrap up Keynote at the Food Tank Summit in WDC, Ken Cook the President of the Environmental Working Group, said \”Get to work…go to the front line.\” In closing the Summit, Food Tank\’s Danielle NIerenberg echoed those points and added \”don\’t mope\”. At EcoFarm we talked with Ken about the state of change in Washington and what needs to happen next. \”Now is the time for exploration…Get out of your silo\” and we\’ll you on the front line!

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The name of this organization says exactly what it is all about: Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Graduates, retirees, teachers, occupationally-stalled who have dreamed of having the Organic Farming Experience can get stared with this organization. As Uber matches drivers and riders, WWOOF connects those who are willing to donate their work for room and board on Organic Farms, all over the world. Samantha Blatteis explains the opportunity and her own experience as WWOOFER in New Zealand. www.wwoofusa.org

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The \”Spinning Food\” of Friends of the Earth challenges stealth PR tactics that adversely influence the public perception and confidence in organics while defending pesticides and GMOs. Stacy Malkan, Co-Director of US Right To Know and co-author of Spinning Food pulls the curtain back to identify tactics and action that should be taken by consumers and farmers alike. www.usrtk.org

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One of the most popular panels at Eco Farm 2017 featured 3 Successful Organic farms: Dick Peixoto, Lakeside Organic;, Watsonville CA Jamie Collins, Serendipity Farms, Aromas, CA; and Will Allen & Kate Deusterberg of Cedar Circle Farms, East Thetford, VT. We sat down for a cup of coffee in the busy Asilomar Conference social hall with Dick Peixoto to get a closer look at how Lakeside Organic has succeeded in becoming the largest family owned Organic farm in the United States. Dick and Lakeside\’s success allows them to produce 45 crops, on 1,200 acres with 250 dedicated employees–growing what sells, not just selling what grows. Growth continues with their California Grill featuring fresh Organic produce and the family\’s commitment to build an Agriculture Learning Center for locals and visitors to the Monterey Bay.

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World famous animal welfare expert, Dr. Temple Grandin is autistic and thinks by seeing pictures. That ability to visualize what animals experience on farms, ranches and paking houses has contributed to the welfare of the animals, from birth to thier final hours. Temple gives us a picture of the animal welfare issues and opportunities for improvement. It is most important that the people who work with livestock are not overworked and underpaid. Contrary to the recent claims that livestock production is not sustainable, Temple believes that increased use of productive grazing is one of the most important developments for the future.

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The growing need and interest in growing farmers is being addressed all over the world. Mary Kimball, Executive Director of the Center for Land-Based Leaning sheds light on this phenomenon with stories of success and the steps aspiring farmers can take to be successful themselves. America needs new farmers asap and many want to farm but wrongly assume they have to be rich or inherit a farm to make a living. www.landbasedlearning.org

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If you have advanced degrees that can take you places, why go back to a small farm in the country? This \”radical homemaker\” has the answer. Shannon Hayes hasI a bachelors degree in creative writing from Binghamton University, and a masters and Ph.D. in sustainable agriculture and community development from Cornell. Her essays and articles have appeared in regional and national publications, including The New York Times, The Boston Review, and Northeast Public Radio. A quirky lifestyle and a life of personal accountability and sustainability, and research and writings about homemaking as an ecological movement have landed Shannon and her family on the pages of the New York Times, Brain Child Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Lancaster Farming, Small Farm Quarterly, Hobby Farm Home Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, National Public Radio, Grit, Yes! Magazine, Elle Magazine, Juno, the national newspapers of Germany, Turkey and Canada, the Arab News and the Pakistan Observer. If you have ever wondered how you or someone you care for could shuck the corporate conveyor of long commutes and office politics for a life in the country, this is a podcast worth a listen.

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When a community faces nearly insurmountable issues as Detroit has, local community leaders need to step up and lead the changes themselves. Malik Yakini, the Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network believes that \”Struggle is the best University\”. We learn more from seeking and achieving solutions in our community that depending on outsiders with a \’missionary\’ approach. The Network in Detroit is a model of community self determination.

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There is a scarcity of successful communications in Agriculture and the result is misconceptions and mistrust. Consumer are worried about Big Corporations controlling food system and cutting corners whenever they can get away with it. Author of the Communications Scarcity in Agriulture, Jessic Eise of Purdue Univesity, shares how to work with , not against the power of diversity of perspectives. \”The small percent of people who will never open themselves up to a diversity of perspectives…….should not be allowed to dictate the course of our dialogues nor dissuade us from communications efforts.\”

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\”Heretics of the World unite!\” Joel Salatin farms, writes, speaks and stirs up people all over the world with his perspective. Joel says that everywhere in the world the number one issue is \”who will replace the aging farmers.\” The average age of farmers in the US is now 60 (70 in Japan) and within 15 years 50% of all the the Ag equity in the world will change hands. It\’s a brand new phenomenon that creates unprecedented opportunity for young people to start farming. If you want to farm and are not sponsored or rich, take the \”craft\” door instead of the \”commodity\” door. Joel explains how to take first steps. He also sees the current distrust with international pesticide/seed corporations shifting to \”Global Industrial Organic\” companies that have put on white hats while they take business from local direct farm sales, farmers markets, and CSA\’s, If you want to be a farmer, start now.

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While the political pendulum may swing towards self-absorbed isolationism, the better nature of the food movements keeps moving forward. Few of the many \’movements\’ within the global movement, are as inspiring as \”Agroecology\”. Steve Gliessman, literally wrote the book on Agroecolodgy and shares reasons to be encouraged that range from your morning cup of coffee, to coffee farms in Nicaruagua and farmers teaching farmers in Mozambique. www.canunite.org www.FAO.org

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Finally a Farm To Table Book! The tide is steadily turning to what has been broadly termed the “farm-to-table” movement. In this podcast Farm to Table authors, Darryl Benjamin and Chef Lyndon Virkler explore how the farm-to-table philosophy is pushing modern, industrialized food production and moving beyond isolated “locavore” movements into a broad and far-reaching coalition of farmers, chefs, consumers, policy advocates, teachers, institutional buyers, and many more all working to restore healthful, sustainable, and affordable food for everyone. The authors of the long-awaited tome examine the roots of our contemporary industrial food system, from the technological advances that presaged the “Green Revolution” to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz’s infamous dictum to farmers to “Get big or get out” in the 1970s. The authors explain the food system alternatives―from permaculture to rotation-intensive grazing―that small farmers are now adopting to meet growing consumer demand. They also identify best practices and strategies for schools, restaurants, healthcare facilities, and other business and institutions to partner with local farmers and food producers, from purchasing to marketing. No longer restricted to the elite segments of society, the farm-to-table movement now reaches a wide spectrum of America.

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One out of every 7 households in the US is food insecure. Over half of our infants receive some type of federal food support (WIC). Beyond \”farm to table\”, what happens when a nation\’s students are unable to get the nutrition they need? Dr. Lorrene Ritchie, Director of the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, sizes up the issue, explains the research findings and suggests a way forward where everyone can help.

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The future of growing food for tables world-wide will utilize new technologies, being used by new farmers growing in non-traditional space, thanks in part to efforts by the Open Ag Initiative at the MIT Media Lab. The leader of the program and \”farmer of farmers\” Dr. Caleb Harper shares a vision that has room for current farmers and new farmers producing on traditional farm fields or roof tops or in the store you buy your food. He shares the enthusiasm he draws from hundreds of young, curious and highly motivated farmer/scientists of the future, from the lab of the most non-traditional farm school, MIT and its reknowned Media Lab.

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Some are celebrating and some are dreading the fact that this is a time of significant change in government. And whether you farm, want to farm or just eat and want to eat well, sustainably well, change at the US Department of Agriculture touches all of us. Programs at the USDA touch everything from commodity support programs, to specialty crops, to farmers markets, conservation, and roof top gardens. To share views on change, including the changing of the leadership team at the USDA, the Administrator of the Farm Services Agency, Val Dolcini joins us for table talk about food and farming matters that impact everybody. This farm to table talk conversation includes advice to help beginning farmers, programs to help commodity and specialty crop producers, urban agriculture and transitions at the USDA.

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There is much to be thankful for, and if you\’re lucky that includes great artisan bread. If in spite of the periodic dietary cautions, you love bread, you will be jealous of Avery Ruzicka the Baker and Partner in the Manresa Bread company. Avery figured out that bread is her passion and she has been able to pursue this dream from North Carolina to New York to California in 3 Star restaurant Manresa, (surpisingly) next at Farmers Markets, then a bakery store and now national distribution. She share her own story and the story of making great bread–something to be thankful for.

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Not everyone can write a food/farming column for the Washington Post or farm oysters in Cape Cod, but Tamar Haspel believes everyone should \”come to the table\”. Tamar has ideas about divisive food policy issues that she wants to see pursued in constructive conversation. As for government: \”I don\’t run the zoo..I can\’t sit at my desk and tell those who run the zoo what to do…I do have ideas as a starting point\” On this Farm To Table Talk she shares her experience and some of those ideas, including the suggestion that one should have lunch with an opponent.

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According to the NY Times \”Fears about the harmful effects of eating GM foods have proved to be largely without scientific basis.\” Oddly the front page headline emphasized a different point: Doubts About A Promised Bounty–Genetically Modified Crops Have Failed to Lift Yields and Ease Pesticide Use. Grist\’s Nathaneal Johnson seems to have studied the GMO issues more than any other journalist. On Farm To Table Talk he critiques the NY Times story and paints a picture of what we can learn from this very long GMO journey. Nate also shares his story from a small newspaper in Idaho, to a graduate student of Michael Pollan\’s at Berkeley to the Food and Farming editor for Grist, www.grist.org

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Should companies that market unhealthy snacks, sweets or sodas be allowed to exhibit at Food and Nutrition Conferences where \”influencers\” are learning what to recommend to consumers? FNCE, the Food and Nutrition Conference of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics drew criticism in a Time magazine article for allowing participation by \”corporations..not aligned with nutrition and public health. FNCE attendee and registered dietitian Lauren Harris-Pincus quickly stepped up in her blog to say \”Why I’m OK with soda companies sponsoring nutrition conferences\”. This conversation on Farm To Table Talk is about the role of brands and dietitians and healthy or \”junk\” foods.

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Organic is still a very small percentage of the food we consume, yet it is undeniably growing at a very brisk pace. Food Trend Forecaster, Suzy Badaracco of Culinary Trends points out trends from all-day breakfast occasions to Garden(in) Glass Cocktails. When your dream becomes a trend, you may be like Pamela Burns the Chef and Proprietess of Wild Plum Cafe in Monterey and be able to cook with the best ingredients for the pleasure of others.

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\”Food Hubs\” are still a new concept to many of us and we usually guess that they are popping up on either Coast rather than in the MidWestern heart of Corn and Soybean country. Your guess would be wrong; this important part of the food movement is percolating all over America. We talk with a new food hub coordinator who shares what it is all about and how you get the program up and running. In the process, this new Coordinator, East Coast transplant Elaine Vidal, fell in love with Muncie, Indiana.

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Whatever is your personal view on GMO’s they are probably here to stay. Future focus will be on safety, transparency and coexistence between farms raising GMO crops and farms not raising GMO crops. So what happens if a herbicide that can be sprayed on a GMO Corn field drifts on to a tomato field? It can destroy the tomato field. This is especially concerning now that weeds are becoming more resistant to Glyphosate (Roundup) and new biotech crops are being used that are resistant to other herbicides, such as Dicamba or 24D, where off-target drift is a bigger risk. The Save Your Crop Coalition and Dow Agro-Sciences are showing that it is possible to work out differences and solve problems of co-existence..

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We love to eat great food, grown in the ways we prefer, but what about the 405 of food that is wasted? We talk with Deb of Food Solutions about a new business that addresses food waste, increases farm income, lowers costs to restaurants and still delivers flavor, nutrition and value to consumers. What if Farmers Markets were an incubator for new \’bricks and mortar\’ store front busniess. From Farmers Market Executive Director Nesh Dhillon we learn that they are that and much more, on this episode of Farm To Table Talk.

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When you see a New York Times headline that says \”Industrial Farms Have Gone Green\” it gets your attention. This was the subject of an editorial in the Times by Oklahoma State Ag Economist, Dr. Jayson Lusk. While agreeing that there is much to like about small, local farms and their influence on what we eat, Dr. Lusk says we must look to the 8% of farms that grow 80% of our food if we are to sustainably deal with problems from population growth and climate change.

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Improving the global food system is a goal shared by thousands, but realized by few. One of the newer effective voices for this movement is Food Tank. Farm To Table Talk visits with the Food Tank founder Danielle Nierenberg who is \”honored\” to share the stories of \”heroes\” of the global food movement. While too modest to claim hero status for Food Tank, she sees heroes among women, youth, local farmer and others all over the world. The experience, inspiration and lessons learned can apply everywhere.

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It\’s not been fashionable to look to Washington DC for answers, but DC Greens should be an exception. The leaders and team at DC Greens are showing that you can leverage existing infrastructure, resources and talent to build a healthy food system–a model for cities everywhere. With innovations in food education, access, policy and even Dr\’s prescribing fruits and vegetables they are determined that zip codes won\’t determine life expectancy. People are literally lining up to take advantage of creativity of DC Greens.

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In one way or another, most of us are part of the Food Movement. Now if we only were sure what that means. Michael Dimock, the President of Roots of Change is a respected leader of the movement with a good handle on what it is, where it stands and where it is heading. He sees a movement that is like hundreds of streams flowing into a river that is covering the United States and much of the world. This is truly a grassroots movement rather than the traditional top down dictates, and now focusing one policy matters more than ever.

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Accepting that the world will have 8 billion people by 2030, consuming 50% more energy and demanding 40% more water, what\’s the answer? Maybe there\’s not a single answer, but thousands of \’right\’ answers. The world leading Agriculture & Natural Resource system at the University of California is connecting those dots from global back to local communities. Dr. Glenda Humiston, Vice President of the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources shares how research, extension and education will be in every bite we take.

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Food Delivery 2.0 is a good way to describe the new era in food delivery, from farm to table. \”Convenience, Convenience, Convenience\” is the demand driver that has caused billions of dollars being invested to make it easier to get the food you want, when you want it. Rabo Bank Research Analysts have studied this emerging frontier in 1) Online grocery 2) Delivery Apps 3) Meal Kits and Ready Meals. Dr. Roland Fumasi of Rabo Bank helps us explore this new world. Farmers Markets, CSA\’s and stores aren\’t the only way consumers will satisfy their demand for local, heirloom, artisan, ethnic etc meals or ingredients.

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Farmers Markets are the best places today to connect with your community, meet your farmers and find delicious options to bring home. Your favorite chef is probably there too, rounding up fresh surprises for tonights menu. Nothing beats a bustling Farmers Market and here you will catch the energy and sounds as we talk to a shopping couple who shares their family recipe for Pesto, the justifiably proud Market Manager and a Chef chasing purple cauliflower and other surprises for their menu that changes daily to match the fresh offerings at the Farmers Markets.

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Some view Farm to Table as a luxury for the rich and others are working to see that this isn\’t the case. Gus Schumacher, a co-founder of Wholesome Wave and former USDA UnderSecretary believes that affordable, healthy, local foods should be available to everyone and that even poverty need not be an obstacle to eating fruits and vegetables. He also sees leadership coming from hospitals and other health focused organizations that literally prescribe fruits and vegetables as an effective measure to the growing diet/disease crisis. Government agencies and even private companies are helping reduce costs for these new \”prescriptions\” for improved health.

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Have both major political parties turned protectionist and against free trade? Do the leading Presidential candidates know what is in the controversial \”Trans-Pacific Partnership\”? Whether it\’s foreign food for domestic tables or local food for foreign tables, it\’s an important issue that will have an impact on what farmers grow and what we eat. Josh Rolfe, Manager of Federal Policy for the California Farm Bureau explains what\’s at stake when trade is sacrificed to politics.

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Farmer\’s Markets are being celebrated for unprecedented growth and contribution to revitalizing communities in a foundational role as part of the new American food system. Administrator of the USDA\’s Ag Marketing Service, Elanor Starmer. Shares the success to date and paints a picture of invigoration that includes Know Your Farmer Know your Food, Farm To School, Urban Agriculture and a wide spectrum of programs and citizen initiatives that is reaching millions.

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Garlic fans make annual pilgrimages to Gilroy California for the world famous Gilroy Garlic Festival to enjoy entertainment, artisans and delicious cuisine made with garlic. This visit to the Festival for the free garlic ice cream and other treats is topped off with a conversation with two types of garlic farmers, a certified organic farmer who sells to Farmers Markets and a larger scale conventional farmer growing garlic for processors and national fresh market distribution.

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When there are important issues about the environment and food, it\’s a safe bet that the Environmental Working Group is involved. The founder and President of the EWG, Ken Cook joins our Farm to Table Talk for a conversation that ranges from GMO Labeling to Subsidies and their annual \”Dirty Dozen\” list. And Ken shares reasons to be optimistic about a future that all sides should welcome. Listen to the podcast and you can read the interview here https://podcasttexts.com/Farm-to-Table-Talk-KenCook.html

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Prior to the Senate and House passing a mandatory labeling law that pre-empts the Vermont GMO labeling law, an editorial in the Wall Street Journal said that a sticker on genetically modified groceries may debunk irrational fears. The authors, economists Rich Sexton of UC Davis and Steven Sexton of Dukesay that with the recent release of another exhaustive report by the National Academies of Sciences attesting to the safety of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, \”it is time for the food industry and advocates of genetically engineered crops to stand up for their products and put a label on them….This could be the best way to make consumers confront their irrational fears, to stamp out public ignorance and to save an important technology…\”

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Congress has passed legislation to pre-empt state GMO labeling laws such as as the one that has just gone in to effect in Vermont. Now what? Farm To Table Talk engages an expert who has been central to the development of approaches that will be used to give consumers the information they say they want– they want to know everything. Patrick Moorhead CMO of Label Insight paints a compelling picture of the likely future when consumers will know whether their food has been genetically engineered plus much much more.

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In this episode we share some unique farm to table connections, recognize the best Food Podcasts in the World, find a unique food proposition among the 300,000 daily visitors to the Taste of Chicago on the Lakefront and introduce Chicago based game-changing insights on how food labels will soon tell you everything you want to know. The Death, Sex and Money Podcast hosted by Anna Sale is an extremely popular podcast, heard by millions. That’s why she was a Keynote speaker at the Podcast movement conference in Chicago. Surprisingly her advertisers and her latest guest show a respect for farm to table connections. Anna Sale and her family are moving to California, but that\’s another story.

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Next time you eat yogurt, give a minute to remembering that your yogurt was very recently in a black and white holstein cow on the McCarty Family Farm in Kansas. Kevin McCarty shares the unique story of his family moving their dairy from Pennsylvania to Kansas and building a special relationship with the Dannon Yogurt Company. It\’s a story about sustainable farming from the cows, to the family, their team, the community, the Dannon company and a nutritious food for you and yours. www.mccartyfamilyfarms andwww.dannon.com

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Growing the organic industry, from farms to tables, will require more research and better communications with consumers who are often confused by misleading food marketing strategies. To do the job right, there needs to be a system to raise funds from the industry. Marty Mesh the Executive Director of the Florida Organic Growers and Melody Meyer, Executive Director of UNFI believe that the answer is a national \”check-off\” program with assessments collected from Organic farmers and companies on the certified organic products they produce and market.

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Vermont has passed a GMO Labeling law, \”produced with genetic engineering\”, that is to go in effect July 1. US Senators Stabenow (D) and Roberts (R) are introducing legislation that would pre-empt the Vermont law by enacting a national disclosure standard for \”bioengineered foods\”. Before you get overwhelmed with the opinions on both sides, listen to our Farm To Table Talk podcast to hear what will be proposed in the Senate bill and what is in the Vermont law. Would there be \”technological challenges\” to consumers to \”bioengineering disclosure\” through electronic or digital methods?

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Urban Agriculture: production(beyond just home consumption), distribution and marketing of food is happening within the core and fringes of metro areas. LA based, Dr. Rachel Surls, is on the frontline of this movement for the University of CA Cooperative Extension Service. Rachel is also co-author with Judith Gerber of the book \”From Cows to Concrete: The Rise and Fall of Farming in Los Angeles.\” (http://www.angelcitypress.com/products/c2co) Food production is coming back in LA, the number one Ag producing County in America for much of the last century.

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New rules proposed for the USDA Organic Standards will raise requirements for organic livestock production. The Deputy Administrator of the USDA Organic program, Miles McEvoy explains how livestock are to be treated if the changes go in to effect. The continued growth of Organics is taking place globally with implications for imports and exports of organic foods. Conventional farmers converting to Organics are generally enthusiastic as they start down the transition road.

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Consumers, especially Millennials, want their food to be \”responsibly produced\”. Whole Foods Markets are taking more steps to meet that demand at their over 400 stores and their brand new \”365\” store format. The Global VP of Perishables, Edmund LaMacchia explains the Vision, lessons learned and future of providing shoppers with truly responsibly produced food, Organic and Conventional if it meets 8 criteria. Communications and marketing of \”responsibly grown\” will continue to improve and to be a focus.

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A large share of the people in the world cannot take farm to table for granted. Food security is an issue, especially recovering from disasters such as the deadly Earthquake last year in Nepal. Katherine Parker is on the font line helping solve problems, connecting farmers and markets and still finding time to enjoy local food and friendships. She has worked with communities and their farmers in Japan, Iowa, Cambodia and Nepal. Listen to the podcast and follow her on facebook.com/bokashi or read more stories on her blog, bokashi.blogspot.com

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Consumers may wonder if what is said about their food and how it is produced, is truthful. The Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA has oversight and certification programs that verify specific claims, such as \”antibiotic free\”, cage free or country of origin. AMS Deputy Administrtor Dr. Craig Morris explains \”checkoff\” programs fund farmer/rancher promotion to consumers. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is still in effect for all commodities, except for beef and pork. Future areas of attention may relate to false claims on menus or farmers market about farm sources.

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Solving the childhood obesity crisis is being tackled by a public/private partnership that finally brings true marketing power to the effort. From the honorary Chairman, First Lady Michelle Obama to celebrities like MVP Steph Curry, important goals have a better chance to deliver than ever before. The Chief Marketing Officer of the Partnership for America, Drew Nannis, explains the FNV campaign (Fruits and Vegetables)and why a rock solid marketing effort will lead to a Healthier America!

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Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest has not been bashful about criticizing the food industry when change is needed, but he also speaks up when he sees progress. Today he sees results and areas where progress is being made on the big three issues of trans fat, sugar and salt. Successful changes have featured cooperation and engagement of all levels of the food chain, from farmers to manufacturers and brands.

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The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine believes that you should not eat hot dogs, or any processed meats. To make that point, Carrie Clyne and her colleagues offered Banana Hot Dogs to visitors at their booth at the Partnership for A Healthier America. Carrie explains why this organization of 150,000 physicians, scientists and concerned citizens feel strongly about that hot dogs are to be avoided.

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Food Trends are not always what we think they are. No company watches true food trends in Restaurants better than Chicago-based Tecnhomic. Kelly Weikel, their Director of Consumer Insights on what consumers want to eat from food trucks to \’mash-ups\’ and identified sources. This year what we spend in restaurants for the first time passed what we spend to eat at home and of course, Millennials are leading the way. Kelly shared the insights at the Partnership for Healthier America Conference in WDC.

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Where did today\’s farm to table movement start moving and where is it moving to next? The Esalen Institute on Big Sur asked these questions of \”agrarian elders\”, including wise organic pioneers, like Anne Schwartz. Anne has farmed and worked tirelessly to connect evolving systems of farming with consumer expectations. Her story includes success and setbacks, from a tractor burning up in the barn successes to Wendell Berry sparking the movement by sharing his passion with 2,000 farmers interested in a better way of farming.

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\”Trust\” is the biggest issue in Food today and Consumer Reports assures consumers that \”Trust Lives Here\”. The leader of the Consumer Union\’s Consumer Safety and Sustainability Group, Dr. Urvashi Rangan, joins the Farm To Table Talk conversation to share the state of food trust, issues and perspectives that informed consumers care about.

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The desire to farm is not limited to farm kids. In fact a large number of new farmers have started non ag careers after college and grew up in the city without the benefit of family traditions, 4-H or FFA. One of the programs created to help them get started is the Grange School of Adaptive Agriculture. Ruthie King took a break from her Farm School responsibilities to to join our Farm To Table Talk conversation about helping new farmers become successful farmers.

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Newspapers have suffered as the Internet of Social Media, Blogs and Search engines is our source for information about everything, including food. Russ Parsons, author and former Food Editor for the LA Times has experienced it all and shares how consumers today need to be curious and a little skeptical. He also praises journalism such as the Farm To Fable articles in the Tampa Bay Times by Laura Reiley. (Also on our podcast.)

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The Farm To Fables stories in the Tampa Bay Times exposed dishonesty and misrepresentation in many restaurants about the providence of their food. It has created a stir all over the country and also right in Tampa where Chef/Owner Greg Baker of the well regarded Refinery restaurant sharply criticized the dishonest practices in a Food Republic article and in this Farm To Table Talk podcast.

Read his article on Food Republic http://www.foodrepublic.com/2016/04/25/a-pissed-off-tampa-chef-explains-the-farm-to-fable-controversy/

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A sustainable food system, including livestock production, is essential. That is the perspective being advanced in thought and deed by Bob Martin of the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. A Kansas farm boy himself, Bob sees the shortcomings in the current system and also sees reasons to be encouraged. Consumers, politicians and farmers themselves will find plenty to chew on in this Farm To Table Talk.

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The world needs more sustainable food systems and Patrick Holden, CEO of UK based Sustainable Food Trust, points the way forward. It starts with recognizing the \”true cost of food\”. It means moving from industrialized models to systems which avoid environmental damage, minimizes natural resource depletion and promotes public health, social justice and well-being. Learn more in our podcast and at sustainablefoodtrust.org

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Are menus truthful about the farm source of our food? Many are not according to Laura Reiley of the Tampa Bay Times. On this Farm To Table Talk Laura explains what they have learned, what consumers can do and what might come next. It\’s all about consumers desire to know where their food comes from, how its raised and who really is the farmer. And it\’s about trust.

yRead Laura Riele\’s article: http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2016/food/farm-to-fable/restaurants/

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Joel Salatin is the most famous farmer in the US and he\’s becoming a global celebrity too. The Sustainable Food Trust hears Joel\’s recommendations for the the future of Food at the \”True Cost of American Food Conference\”. He shares his wisdom for caring consumers, other farmers, and even Grandparents. Featured in films and author of 10 books, this is a conversation for our times. @susfoodtrust

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Today many consumers want more than just abundant, delicious and affordable food; they want to know how their food is produced and whether the animals were treated humanely. The American Humane Association is one of the organizations that provides certification of animal raising practices to give that assurance. Dan Berman explains what is \”humane\” and how they confirm that humane practices are being used.

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There is good reason to be skeptical about food claims, especially when you have auto-immune diseases like these sisters, Kacy and Kara. \”Sisters Undercover\” sounds funny but they are dead serious about finding the truth behind what they consume. They must eat \”clean\” and are sharing what they learn–the good and the not so good.

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The journey from farm to table is seldom more intriguing than that taken for the best salad in the West, from Myamar to Burma Superstar. Fermented tea leaves from Burmese farmers is the star ingredient of the consistently top-rated salad. That\’s good news for farmers in Myamar who hope to expand their Certified Organic tea production to meet the growing demand for the leaves: \”Eat Your Tea!\”

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GMOs have been controversial for years, but what\’s next? Melody Meyer, VP United Natural Foods addressed the future as a panelist at Natural Foods Expo panel on \”Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering–Concerns and Opportunities\”. Melody lays out the issues in this Farm To Table Talk.

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Our health is connected to the health of our soil. Fred Kirschenmann explains how we got where we are today and how regenerative and resilient soils are a key to a healthy future. As he explained at the Organic Farming Research Foundation at Natural Foods Expo West, he introduces the concept of \’bio-regional communities\” that will develop local food and farming economies, appropriate to place.

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Presidential politics may have addressed everything that matters except what may matter most, our food system. Michael Pollan, Mark Bittman, and other food movement leaders, including our guest Ricardo Salvador from the Union of Concerned Scientists intend to change that with the \”Plate of the Union\”. Ricardo explains the issues, the political process now and what should happen next..

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Better food with better stories will soon be everywhere. In this conversation with the renowned Supermarket Guru, Phil Lempert we cover key food trends, good ideas and bad ideas too, such as the repeal of Country of Origin Labeling for meat. People who care about their food and how it is grown, will care about what Phil sees ahead.

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Consumers want to know about chicken \’freedoms\’. Are the chickens raised cage free? Antibiotic free? GMO free? Or even farm free, in cities. Maurice Pitesky, Poultry Health and Food Safety Extension Specialist with the world leading UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, talks with us about antibiotic use, 100,000 CA backyard chicken premises and shifting systems to free-range to meet customer demand.

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Congress has stepped in to the GMO salmon issue by requiring that labeling be addressed before the new salmon can be sold in the US. UC Davis Geneticist, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam discusses this salmon controversy, labeling, the roots of mistrust and the new, less controversial, genetic technologies that will target traits of importance to consumers.

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More and more people want to know how their food is produced and also want to know that they can count on honest information. The USDA Ag Marketing Service is filling that need with the USDA Process Verified program. Dr. Craig Morris, Deputy Administrator of USDA\’s Ag. Marketing Service explains the program and shares insights on the trends: animal welfare, GMO, antibiotics, sustainability and farm size.

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Google leads in some many arenas it shouldn\’t be a surprise, that they are also leading Silicon Valley with an impressive Farm to Table program. Led by our guest, Christa Essig, google team members around the world are seeing food grown on their campuses, eating sustainably grown food and continually learning about a better food system.

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The Dietary Guidelines for America has taken several big steps, although not as big as some would like. Sharon Palmer, RD, outlines what the changes will mean. One of the recommendations has already been acted on when FDA announced new nutrition fact labels that require the listing of \”added sugars\”.

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Cattle production has been criticized for contributing to global warming. That isn\’t a fair charge say these ranchers.

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Many have heard about Agroecology but don\’t know what it means. Steve Gliessman is one of the fathers of this, now international movement and no one explains it better than here in this Farm To Table Talk podcast.

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Farm to Table Talk explores issues and the growing interest in the story of how and where the food on our tables is produced, processed and marketed. The host, Rodger Wasson is a food and agriculture veteran. Although he was the first of his family to leave the grain and livestock farm after five generations farming in America, he\’s continually worked for and with farmers though-out America and around the world. From directly managing commodity boards and councils to presently building the strategic consultancy, Idea Farming. www.idea-farming.com .   The Farm to Table Talk podcasts have been created for anyone interested in individual journeys within the food movement, the modern food system and stories behind our every bite.

The tables are turned as Rodger shares his journey and why the Farm To Table Talk podcast was created in the following Urban Farmer podcast with  the Urban Farmer himself, Greg Peterson, www.urbanfarm.org.

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